upon that he shines so pre-eminent. There is, however, another perfection that the highly bred horse has; he does any work with more willingness and cheerfulness than the coarse horse, and this is why for any purpose to which his strength is adequate he will be found, on an average, so much pleasanter than the old fashioned one (that is, in these days). It is true, the inferior-bred horse is quite as free, and perhaps even more, inclined to frisk about while quite fresh, than the thorough or higher bred one; but this only lasts while work is play to him. At real labour all his energy leaves him; and once tired, the game is up. This has long since been found out; so, as our expectations as to distance and pace have more than gone hand in hand with the increased goodness of roads and improvement in vehicles, we have found improvement in breed absolutely indispensable-hence the change in the carriage-horse.

THE CABRIOLET-HORSE.

This is an animal that, like the old coach-horse, has more of his own particular cast about him than most horses now in use; and for the same reason, to be a good, that is, a perfect cab-horse according to present taste, he is and must be kept for his legitimate purpose. If his action fits him for a cabriolet, riding him is out of the question, unless one meant to personate Obediah on the coach-horse of old. It is true, on such an errand as the above functionary went, one must not be nice as to the mode of transit; and I should say, if the riding such an animal, and the occasion to do so, occurred once every year, it would be quite enough and to spare, unless with one in whom the bump of philo-progenitiveness is more than usually developed.

The cab-horse, to be perfect, requires many qualifications not easily met with indeed, some of them are rare to get combined. In double-harness a horse may be a little awkward or lazy, inclined to bolt, or even to run away; may be somewhat restive, or a little unsafe in his action; still, with a good partner, a man anything of a coachman can make him do his business at least tolerably. Even in a buggy-horse there are many little imperfections that may be compensated for by other qualifications, for he is wanted to be fast and lasting. I have put up with many serious objections in such horses, for the sake of pace and style of going. Impatience would, to many persons, be a very serious fault in a horse for single harness. To me personally it is none: I like a bit of a hasty-tempered one for this purpose; but even this would be intolerable in the cab-horse.

He must be, or should be singularly handsome, of commanding size; must be fast, or, at least, extremely quick in all his movements; be able and willing at one moment to go along rating fourteen miles an hour, the next be as willing to walk, if wanted, at the rate of three. He must stand motionless while his aristocratic owner enjoys his colloquy at the coronetted carriage-window; must not want the application of the toy-whip, or pull so as to stretch or twist the fingers of the white, lemon, or pink kids. To want holding at a door would render him useless, for who is to hold him? he must know by instinct that minute piece of humanity, yclept " the tiger," is before him, for seeing him is out of the question to a horse in harness. going, the slightest indication on his mouth must suffice. He ought

In

never, if a well-taught cab-horse, to voluntarily stop or attempt to stop at doors because he has often stopped at them before: this is only the habit of butchers', bakers', and such plebeian horses. The baker may be proud and feel it his interest to stop at my lady's or other ladies' doors; but though our scion of nobility or aristocracy may also at times stop at the same doors, it might be extremely inconvenient that his horse should indicate that his master did so. There are also numberless other places where our pink of haut ton often calls, in that questionable light of an hour or two before dinner, that it would not do if Mr. Cab-horse in broad day evidently shewed he was in the habit of visiting; some inhabited by good souls who never refuse a few hundreds to a spirited minor who has some old hunks of a father who is illiberal enough to wish to prevent a sucking lordling or heir spending his patrimony before he gets it. Then there are other locales, where snuff-boxes, rings, dressing-cases, bronzes, and all sorts of things of such ilk, are sold, bought, exchanged, and sometimes-" name it not in Gath!"-left in return for certain small cards, and certain advances of coin of the same colour as those portentous globes that indicate a something being two to one against the punter. Why three should be the still existing number seems extraordinary, when the odds have increased so wonderfully in favour of the banker. But it must not be supposed that it follows as a matter of course it is absolutely necessary that the critically-arranged and made-up person of the votary of fashion should betake itself to the owner of these golden worlds; there are more aristocratic places where silver and gold plate is exhibited, that to the initiated are equally well-known, where the same sort of business is transacted to larger amounts. These mammoth contrebandiers in this trade are sad stumbling-blocks in the way of the honest man of balls. God bless them, one and all of the fraternity! though the number three may mean that it is two to one he will not do so. However, my good wishes are the same.

Having here stated some actions that the cab-horse must not perpetrate, we must look to the action he must have. This is precisely that which some fifty years since would have caused him to be rejected by any good judge as a "clamberer"-a style of going then considered as of the very worst sort; and so, in fact, it is for use, for such goers must tire. It is true Rattler, Mr. Osbaldiston's horse, had extraordinary lofty action, yet was uncommonly speedy, and could "last at it." The miser's horse had just begun to live without food, but he died; so poor Rattler did a long match, but he died also; and I doubt not that had his action been less fatiguing, he would not have done so. But the cab-horse is only wanted for show; so the more parade he makes about what he does, the better he is thought of: in truth, this is pretty much the same with men now-adays. One animal of this sort (I mean a horse), not long since, was actually bought at seven hundred guineas, solely from his lofty

action.

I must here observe I am using obsolete terms in mentioning high and lofty, I will therefore make my reader au fait of the one he must now make use of.

Going to one of our tip-toppers as a dealer, to look at a horse for a

friend, I was assured that when I saw him out I should find "he possessed every essential of a most superior animal, with most aspiring action." I much fear me I was Goth enough to stare more than a little. What can make amends for having been born before 1820? Nothing, but to be a west-end dealer of 1847. As for my poor self, after some few observations on other metropolitan horses, I shall go to school again to learn the proper choice and application of words, that I may venture to look at a horse without betraying my igno

Democritus and Heraclitus have set an example to the world; and the world has followed it from time immemorial. One half laughs at everything and everybody: the other half sees nothing but occasion for lamentation and melancholy in what excites their neighbours' mirth. The followers of the one can appreciate nothing that calls forth reflection or sympathy, and look upon existence as a farce: the followers of the other are as anxious to draw the curtains of sadness over the sunshine of life, and are only satisfied in believing themselves present at an interminable tragedy. I like a genteel comedy; and it is by far the pleasantest form in which to recognise the changes of fortune. In the merriest scenes preserve a becoming recollection of what may happen; in the saddest believe in a happy termination. These are mild and philosophic reflections upon the cold, which, with unabated vigour, continues to freeze the faculties. Who but a philosopher could write with common decency about the first fortnight of the past month? Who but a philosopher could tell (with fingers aching from frost on the 2nd of March) of sport almost beyond hoping for? Still, it must have an end; and I as little believe in a winter without an average quantity of sport, as I do in a summer without roses. If sport depended alone upon the will and capacity of a master of hounds, Mr. Payne would not be without it for a day; and with all the opposition of the elements, I believe he may, this season, boast of as good as, if not better than, any pack of hounds in England.

February opened gloomily enough for us here, as elsewhere-snow and frost; and in the first fortnight we only stole a day or two. The first symptom of scent was about the beginning of the third week ; and

the Warwickshire astonished the world with three smart steeple-chases one Thursday morning, on this side of their country-the first of about seventeen minutes, the second about twenty minutes, the last not more than ten-killing two foxes, and running the second to ground. The field was perfectly awful; and, out of three or four hundred persons, those may be excused who failed to recognise a "commercial gentleman." He formed an important feature in the day's amusement, and, beyond all question, led through the first run from Hillmorton gorse. I have the highest respect for "bagmen," but do'nt like them when they go before the hounds. I hardly know why I mentioned the Warwickshire : they are near neighbours; and having mentioned them, I ought not to leave you in ignorance of the rattling pace they can go-fortunately for them; for I think they might stand a chance of being ridden over. In the part of their country bordering on the Pytchley they have a staunch supporter in a gentleman of good fortune; as much admired by his equals for his urbanity and good breeding, as he is beloved by his dependants and inferiors for his liberality and kindness. And I have understood that Captain Hibbert, of Bilton Grange, establishes the character of the Warwickshire Hunt in his neighbourhood, by ample presents of game, and similar remuneration for damage, to those worthy preservers of foxes, of whom the midland counties are so justly proud. So much for the Warwickshire. The fact is, that having nothing to do with Warwickshire, if they were to see this, they might very well remind me of it. However, as it's only for your amusement, and not theirs, it makes no great difference. When I live in Leamington I shall take care to give you a faithful account of their proceedings; till then, a brief notice is as much as I can give, or you feel interested in reading. Still, I hate to say, even to you, behind a man's back what I would'nt say before his face. The same holds good of a hunt; and if you've any Warwickshire friends (as I have, and very good ones too) show them this, and ask if it's a libel, excepting by its truth. In the mean time their censure, "ne sutor ultra crepidam," would be just, so I'll go on to the Pytchley again.

Of Crick, I gave you a full description once before: I give you anything but a full one now. The gorse was drawn blank; so was Yelvertoft; a bad fox was found near Winwick, in one of the numerous spinneys; and a good one, if I remember right, at Cank-a cover which has afforded some excellent sport this season The consequence of waiting to the end of this day, Friday, the 19th, was a most excellent thing. What a lovely thing, too, is a good brook in the middle of a run, if you happen to be on a brook jumper! Mr. Newdigate, who was out, must have fully appreciated his horse's qualities in that respect (the most really brilliant quality a hunter can possess); for he cleared nineteen feet of water comfortably. Lord Henley was not so fortunate, for he rode at the same place and got as comfortably in. The rest cut it-small blame to them, if any-and got over or through, as the case might be, at easier distances. I remember Newdigate a freshman at Christ Church; the impression he made as a sportsman has never been effaced, and first impressions go a great way. In his case it has deceived no one. He is the brilliant man across country that he then He was then hard to beat, even by such men as Tom Price or Alfred Wodehouse-he is now harder. His nerve is undeniable,

bid fair to be.

cart-horse; and I should think it more than probable that Lincolnshire and Suffolk mainly contributed to the supply of coach-horses, for in those days the Yorkshire horse was the hunter, and would have been thought too light for harness-work. When roads got better, and gentlemen became charioteers, with their phaetons-and-four, and when this was followed by the barouche, then Cleveland sent up its stock for carriage-horses, and they began to get those higher bred. George the Fourth, as Prince of Wales, aided by his friend Sir John Lade, was perhaps the first who showed the public the ne plus ultra of the carriage-horse, as regards size, breeding, beauty, pace, and action all combined. They made me stare as a boy, and made many stare as men, to see them go down Constitution-hill. I have them as distinctly before my eyes now as I had them then. These horses only wanted their "switch" or "barouche"-tails (as they were then called) cut off to a Leicestershire stump, their manes pulled to about an inch long, and they were very fair specimens of hunters, and were quite as highly bred as the generality of hunters then used. The fastest half-bred horse I ever rode to hounds, and one on whom I never was beat by any one for speed during four seasons, I bought a leader in a gentleman's barouche. He was good for nothing in harness; for he would either gallop or not draw an ounce. The same impatience of temper made him in one respect very faulty as a hunter. He would go at his fences like a locomotive, or he would not have them at all; yet he never gave me one fall-a thing I do not recollect I could ever say of any other that I had ridden as much. Probably this got him into harness. I sold him, tempted by long price; but the purchaser never rode him but once. The horse and man did

not suit each other. Yet he had often ridden by my side-that is, as long as he could stay there, which, by the bye, was never very long; and this, in two ways, perhaps accounts for his buying him. So much for my baroucher!

Though, from what I have said, it appears a horse of very extraordinary qualifications as a hunter might sometimes be got from before the bars, it is not to be inferred that the barouche-horse was, in a general way, a good sort of animal; for the reverse was the fact. He was usually a lathy, light-carcassed, leggy brute, that out of his harness looked like a Malay fowl stripped of his feathers, and after a ten-mile stage began to find every mile unusually long; in fact, intrinsically was inferior to the old coach-horse of 1700. Still, he answered his destined purpose; and that was enough. With a good coachman to hold him together, and a little "tying up," he could manage the twelve miles to the Dog at Bedfont on club-dinner occasions, and contrive to get home again; and this was about his hardest day's work. His length of step got him over the ground, and when fresh, like a long-striding race-horse, went much faster than might be supposed; but, like the latter, when from fatigue he began to shorten his stride and dwell at the same time, it became no difficult task to count how many steps he took in a given number of yards. It is true, he was better bred than his predecessor, but not sufficiently better bred for his blood to tell as to lasting quality; in fact, he was bred so as to procure great height, but to diminish, or rather destroy, his compact, strengthy form, without being suffi