COLONEL SMITH'S HORSES.

THIS volume is less popularly effective than the author's previous contribution on Dogs; from his having selected rather peculiar topics to dilate upon, without possessing the high degree of literary

power which could alone render them attractive. One of these topics is an attempt to trace the domestic history of the horse and his first application to the use of mankind, by inductions from the Scriptural mention of the animal, the allusions to him in classical writers, and the appearance of horses on the ancient Egyptian tombs. Another topic is an argument in favour of the theory that horses have originally sprung from more than one stock—that the true wild animal, still found in Tartary, and the domesticated breeds, whether subjected to man or escaped from his dominion, as in America, are of a different origin. Connected with these theo- ries, though not inseparable from them, is a third topic—that there are five primitive breeds of horses, coming from different countries, and distinguished by different colours, " points," and

uses, in the same way as the Caucasian, Negro, and Malayan races, differ among mankind. Of these breeds, he ranks the Arabian or " bay " the first, as being the finest type of the horse, and that which "either gradually obliterates all the others, or assumes an indisputable preeminence," as the Caucasian race dominates among men : the second place is given to the white or gray stock, whose original seats, he thinks, are about Central Asia and Eastern Europe : the black stock, indigenous to Europe, comes next : then the " dun" or " tan," the true wild horse still extant in Asia, but perhaps in its primitive state spreading over a wide extent of country : and lastly the " piebald," whose original seat seems the Himalaya Mountains, and the plains of India and Tartary, into which those gigantic mountains subside. That Colonel SMITH proves his views we do not undertake to affirm ; nor, indeed, are some of them very capable of proof: but there is one point of apparent soundness about the theory of dif- ferent breeds. If any reader of discrimination peruse his account of the " dun " or " tan" race, and inspect the plate that exhibits the " Eelback dun of Ukraine," which Colonel SMITH considers the existing type of the original stock, he will be able to recognize the dun race when he perceives it in nature, and to see at once that the difference between this breed and that of various others is as distinct as the difference between the Negro and the other races of the genus Homo.

The topics we have alluded to are mainly discussed in the gene- ral introduction; Colonel SMITH following the arrangement of all the previous works in the series, which, after an account of the genera, describes seriatim the various species,—including, in the volume before us, the ass, the zebra tribes, and the hybrids or mules. Amateurs of horse flesh, who are interested in the details, we may refer to the volume; where they will find the skill of the naturalist and the tact of the jockey enriched by scholastic learn- ing and animated by the experience of the soldier of much service. Of the occasional amusement which the general reader will find there, a few quotations may serve as specimens.

CHARACTERISTIC OF THE DUN RACE.

In manners and characteristic intelligence, this type displays peculiarities Rot found in the larger forms of horse; and in part at least they may be fairly ascribed to a different cerebral organization. Unlike the other types, the dun alone invariably husbands its strength and resources, never wasting them by untimely impetuosity or uncalcnlating resistance ; ever provident in securing the moment to bite at food or drink ; cautions, cunning, capable of concealing itself, of abstaining from noise, of stooping and passing under bars or other ob- stacles with a crouching gait, which large horses cannot or will not perform : these, and many other peculiarities of their wild and educational instinct, are reflected again upon all the races of the type, however diversified by mixture, so long as the prevailing feature of their stature remains, as all antiquity attests, and modern times daily witness in domesticated ponies, and above all, in the high intelligence of those which have been trained for public exhibitions.

Although varying from circumstances, the dun-coloured stirps is preemi- nently attached to rocky and woody locations, always in a state of nature seek- ing shelter in cover or security among rocks, where either is accessible : it feeds upon a greater variety of plants than the others, and, contrary to them, residence in the open plains is rather an accessory condition than one of pre- ference in their mode of existence.

MOUNTING IN ANCIENT TIMES.

In antiquity, with the exception of the black race reared in Gaul and Western Germany, the Asiatic and African bays, gator, and the white of Asia Minor, all the breeds of horses were undersized ; and indeed it was not desirable to have them fifteen hands high, as long as the stirrup to mount them remained unknown. In vain Xenophon instructs riders how to reach the saddle without lying across the horse in an unseemly attitude: men loaded with armour always found it difficult to gain their seats; they wanted a lift of the leg to rise ; stepped upon the right calf of an attendant ; had an inconvenient cross-bar near the bottom of their spear to place the foot on, or strained the horse in making it rise after lying down to receive the rider; or, finally, Oriental servi- tude induced the principal officers of state to grovel on all-fours, while the sovereign mounted upon their backs, and thence across his saddle,—as is still, we believe, the practice with the Grand Vizir, when the Sultan goes and returns in state to and from the mosque.

TRAITS OF HORSES.

The confidence of a horse in a firm rider and his own courage is great ; as was conspicuously evinced in the case of an Arab possessed by the late General Sir Robert FL Gillespie, who being present on the race-course of Calcutta daring one of the great Hindu festivals, when several hundred thousand people may be assembled to witness all kinds of shows, was suddenly alarmed by the shrieks of the crowd, and informed that a tiger had escaped from his keepers: the Colonel immediately called for his horse, and grasping a boar-spear, which was in the hands of one among the crowd, rode to attack this formidable enemy: the tiger probably was amazed at finding himself in the middle of such a number has yet been published on the United States. afterwards sent home by him a present to the Prince Regent. When Sir

Robert fell at the storming of Kalunga, his favourite black charger, bred at the Cape of Good Hope, and carried by him to India, was at the sale of his effects competed for by several officers of his division, and finally knocked down to the privates of the Eighth Dragoons, who contributed their prize-money to the amount of 500/. sterling, to retain this commemoration of their late commander. Thus the charger was always led at the head of the regiment on a march ; and at the station of Cawnpore was usually indulged with taking his ancient post at the colour-stand, where the salute of passing squadrons was given at drill and on reviews. When the regiment was ordered home, the funds of the pri- vates running low, he was bought for the same sum by a relative of ours, who provided funds and a paddock for him, where he might end his days in comfort: but when the corps had marched, and the sound of trumpet had departed, he refused to eat; and on the first opportunity, being led out to exercise, he broke from his groom, and galloping to his ancient station on the parade, after neighing aloud, dropped down and died.

A HINT FOR AUSTRALASIA.

The ass is emphatically the poor man's horse in every country ; and if can were taken of the breed, and well-selected animals imported from Arabia, per- haps from the province of Oman, or of those of the white breed of Zobeir, near Bussorah, there is no doubt that in the sandy districts of Northern Australia a very useful and handsome race might be reared, valuable to the poorer settler and instrumental in working out the civilization of the natives.

A choice breed of asses and of Arabian camels appears to be an object well worthy the attention of the local governments of Australia and New Zealand.

tensions inspired by the close book-closet atmosphere of Edinburgh. 1 of shrieking beings flying from him in all directions; bat the moment he per- And, not to pause on small blemishes, we repeat that Mr. Cosines ) ceived Sir Robert, he crouched with the attitude of preparing to spring at him,

and that instant the gallant soldier passed his horse in a leap over the tiger's back, and struck the spear through his spine. The horse was a small gray,