regular posts of communication, and of placing agents at them on the whole road between Pesth and Vienna; and they are thus enabled to afford the traveller a rapid and economical mode of proceeding. In this undertaking a number of different persons have engaged, and the opposition has caused the prices to be lowered to half of that charged by the government-post, at the same time that the rate of travelling is nearly double. A traveller, therefore, has only to choose his changing house at each place marked for the establishment of relays: there people come to offer their services, and there is as much emulation among them to effect the change quickly, as while on the road to pass one another, and the whole at the lowest possible price. This is according to the English mode, and is the sole establishment of the sort that exists at present on the continent of Europe. It is singular that Hungary should be the country to give the example in this respect to France, Germany, and Italy!

"Having the intention of visiting the principal breeding studs of Hungary, and making myself acquainted with the system followed in Austria for the improvement of their breed of horses, I proceeded to Babolna.

Formerly the Austrian Government reared a very great number of horses, and the remounts of the army were drawn in great part from these horses, bred at different local establishments, the principal of which was at Mezohegyes, where they have had as many as 20,000 assembled.

"These horses, kept on an economical and parsimonious system, turned out but very middling; for next to the good qualities of horses derived from their breeding, it is the manner they are kept while young that gives to horses more or less size and strength. Disease also was often active at these establishments, where the method of management was defective in many respects.

They have now, however, altered the whole system, and act on better principles, and the government interferes no farther than in furnishing stallions of a good breed to the different provinces of the empire.

"In each of the provinces there exist depôts of stallions bred and reared by government in place of being purchased at a very high price in other countries. Five establishments, consisting of about 3000 chosen brood-mares of a good breed and size, are devoted for the production of stallions. These establishments are obliged to furnish to the provincial depôts annually 400 stallions, having all the requisites considered best for the improvement of the breed of the country. This number is calculated to be sufficient to supply all their own wants, and also to keep up the number of stallions at the depôts to 2000. The number of young horses reared at the different establishments being, however, much greater than 400, the surplus remaining, after having supplied the necessary wants in stallions, young brood-mares, and working-horses, are sold to private individuals, or given to the army at the contract price of cavalry remounts. Each stallion furnished to a province is paid for by the same at the price of 1000 florins (about £80), which is more than sufficient to cover the expenses of rearing, &c. as I will explain hereafter.

"The five establishments which are bound to furnish these 400 stallions to the provincial depôts are as follows: viz. Babolna, Mezohegyes, Radacez in Bucovine, Biber in Carinthia, and Ossiach in Carniolia. I visited the two first, and will give a detailed account of them. Babolna is an estate purchased by Joseph the Second, who appropriated it to its present use. It consists of 7000 jochs* of land of a good quality, and is surrounded by a wide and deep ditch, which affords a good boundary. The whole of the land is cultivated, and the produce appropriated to maintaining the men and horses. The buildings of the farm and stable are placed in the centre. The establishment is under

the orders of a Major, who has four subaltern officers, thirty noncommissioned officers, and three hundred private soldiers, to perform the necessary duties. From these people are provided the farming men, grooms, and necessary keepers, and the whole are subject to martial law. Ten stallions and 200 brood-mares are kept for produce; 280 oxen and 40 mares for farm work. There are proper magazines of every description, an hospital for the men, and an infirmary for the animals: the establishment in short, like a colony, provides for all its own wants."

"The Emperor advances annually 40,000 florins (£3200), which he is repaid by the different provinces, who receive from Babolna 40 to 50 stallions at the rate of 1000 florins (£80) each. The sale of the young mares that are not required to replace the old ones, and stallions not kept, as well as the surplus of the produce of the farm, covers by a large sum the whole cost of the establishment, as well as paying the interest of the first capital invested. Thus the Emperor is enabled, without any burthen to the privy purse, to provide for all the wants of the provinces. The produce have been remarkable for their high breeding, but the four-year-old colts of the present year are very small. On my observing this, it was replied, that formerly the manner of keeping them was bad, and insufficient to produce a proper developement of their powers. They then received the greatest part of their keep on grass-at present they are kept housed, have corn given at six months old, and the pasturage is reckoned as nothing, even for the mares. The results obtained have surpassed expectation, and the colts of two and three years old are of astonishing size and good power. It is a well known and incontestible truth, that from the more or less abundance of good keep (especially in corn) are the young colts likely to become valuable. And it is extraordinary, that in Austria, where in general things are managed according to sound principles of reason, and according to the rules of experience, they should have acted so long in this vague and uncertain method. It is Major Herbert, the present director, who has effected this salutary change. Another mode which he has adopted, and which I am persuaded will be beneficial, is that of renouncing the custom of breeding from four-year-old mares, as being too young to be likely to produce good foals.

"A curious fact which he related to me was the effect the cholera produced among the horses. As soon as the disease ceased among the inhabitants, an epidemic broke out among the horses, and all were

A joch is equal to about 1160 klafters; a klafter is about two yards English.

attacked with an inflammatory complaint, which shewed itself particularly on the glands of the throat, and producing abscesses, but, thanks to a timely and copious application of blisters, none died, though all were attacked.

They are chiefly Arab stallions at Babolna. It appears to me that in all the studs of Hungary they should employ in preference English ones. It is not blood, but size, that the Hungarian breed of horses fails in, and English stallions, in preserving and improving the blood, at the same time will increase the size.

"Mezohegyes is the finest establishment of the Austrian Monarchy for the improvement of the breed of horses. The estate consists of 40,000 jochs of land of good quality, and in a ring fence. Good plantations of ten klafters depth and fifteen leagues in length, surround it. One thousand jochs are planted in different clumps, and thus add to the beauty of the place. The whole estate is cultivated with care, and the produce seems to maintain the establishment. Three hundred and sixty wheeled machines are employed on the farm, half worked by oxen, half by horses. Formerly this stud furnished the remounts for the army, and as many as 20,000 horses have been here at once. They were all kept on grass, but the produce were bad, and illness frequent. The government no longer have this end in view, and confine themselves, as at Babolna, to rearing stallions of a good breed, which are sent to the provinces for the service of individuals, and of which the number is kept up to 2000. Among the annual replacements of these, Mezohegyes furnishes 150. To furnish this number they keep 1000 brood-mares and 40 stallions: 200 mares and 600 oxen are employed in agriculture. The estate is divided into four equal parts; each part is subdivided into pieces, like so many small farms. One officer with two non-commissioned officers, placed at the head of each grand division, has sole charge.

"All the people employed, and the stock of every description necessary for farm-work, are kept together, and the young horses are classed according to age and size. At four years old the colts are assembled at the principal quarter of the stud, in the centre, which is provided with proper sheds, &c. The best are chosen for replacing those drafted. They choose also any that may be required for the other studs, so as to keep them complete. Then, when the stallions have attained the age of five years, they are sent to their stations in the provinces. The surplus are sold by auction, or given as remounts to the army. At the present time the whole number of horses at the establishment, including stallions, brood-mares, colts, and fillies, is 3000. The number of people employed is one Major, twelve officers, one thousand one hundred and seventy soldiers, guardians, ploughmen, &c. It is impossible to exceed the high order and economy of this vast establishment, The director is Major Blackberg, who appears to be an officer of high merit, and well fitted for the situation.

"The Imperial Treasury advances every year 118,000 florins (£9440). This is repaid by the sale of the 150 stallions furnished annually to the provinces, and by the value of the cavalry remounts. All the other expenses are covered by the produce of the farm, &c. which is obliged to, and does provide for everything. The cultivation

of corn being well adapted for the land, it is followed, and the sale is highly profitable. The establishment consumes 150,000 cwt. of forage, not counting straw. The results of this system seem extraordinary, especially to Frenchmen, whose country possesses nothing of

the sort.

"Here is an immense estate, a plan of husbandry on a most extensive scale, a proportionate breeding stud, all kept on the account of the Sovereign, who draws considerable profits therefrom, independent of the principal end in view-viz., that of increasing the breed of a good description of horse. Owing to the success of this system, the Emperor of Austria is able to purchase a sufficient number of horses for his army remounts at a very low rate. He pays for horses for light cavalry at the rate of 110 florins (about £9 sterling), dragoons 120 florins, curassieurs 140 florins, horses of the train 160 florins, and for artillery 180 florins, being prices much below what are paid by the Powers of Western and Southern Europe.

"The following are the different breeds of horses which have been produced at Mezohegyes. The most numerous and the handsomest is the Norman sort. This stock is descended from a stallion named Honius, still living. This horse was formerly at the stud of Rosieres. In 1814 the Austrians brought him away, and sent him to Mezoheygis. His stock have turned out well, and those which have been produced by his descendants covering on mares of Arabian breed, are very handThe second sort is produced from Arab stallions and mares of different countries. The third consists of horses from Lipitza. The fourth is English: it is derived from a stallion named Othello. The fifth, of immense size, comes from Lombardy, and is called Sacramor. Lastly, the sixth, very tall, comes from the kingdom of Naples.

some.

"The two latter sort are badly formed, and of no great power. The first is the most valuable: it would appear as if local circumstances and the nature of the keep suited the Norman cross."

From the foregoing account it will appear the Austrian government have improved so far upon their former system as to have introduced a better method of keeping their young stock, and the result has been favorable as to size. I think, however, that they are very far yet from making the best of their establishments, according to this account of the Marechal. From what I have seen of this Norman mixture, of which he speaks so highly, they want the first requisite of good horses, viz. action; and nothing but pure blood continued for some generations will give it to them.

What size and strength can be procured by means of thorough-bred horses, England is an example; but I doubt whether we should ever have attained to our present perfection had the foreign custom of using entire horses for general purposes been prevalent in this country.

Very few of our breeding farmers ever send a mare to anything but · a thorough-bred horse, if such is to be procured in the neighbourhood; and as colt-foals are generally cut, the stock thus by degrees becomes better-bred, at the same time keeping up sufficient size and strength. Were it not the custom to cut the colts, the country would be overrun with a mass of coarse-bred brutes, and improvement almost stopped

from the constant confusion arising from the accidental mixtures of breeds.

Foreigners would attain their object in improving their native breeds much more expeditiously by choosing thorough-bred stallions (not stallions of English race or Arab race, for they seem to fancy it is quite sufficient to be either of the latter to be thorough-bred) of size and strength, and taking care to keep them perfectly unmixed till they have sufficient to send to the different provinces.

A few stallions of this sort will do more good than all the unwieldy animals they now use, which in many cases, I am quite sure, do much harm to the native breeds by spoiling their action. They may give size; but unless action accompanies this increase, it is of little use.

The Russian government, in their regimental breeding studs, only use English stallions of pure blood, and they are in the right so to do. NEPTUNE.

REVIEW OF THE RACING SEASON 1837.

"Will you go see the order of the course ?"-Julius Cæsar.

THE Racing Year has closed, and we have now leisure to look back. Accurate reports of all the leading Meetings have already appeared in their regular order in these pages: in accordance with our usual practice we proceed to bring into one comprehensive view the general effects of the season's progression. That there will ever be changes in the channels of business as well as of pleasure, is assured to us by the constant revolution both of opinions and habits. The excess of cultivation leads to new modifications, for as civilization approaches nearer and nearer to perfection, taste becomes more fastidious, and the world refuses to be satisfied with its customary supplies. Hence the march of attraction which is spreading over most of our great Meetings-as for example, the costly Shield at Goodwood last year, and the coming alterations, as on the Derby day, for that upon which we have just entered. It is with the Turf as with all things else—either it advances or recedes nothing can morally or physically stand still, and perpetual motion, that defies mortal ingenuity to accomplish, is just the principle which in Nature has no antithesis. Leaving these disquisitions, we come to the business of our present purpose.

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To all who remember the Spring which we last year suffered, it is hardly necessary to speak of the ill omens with which the season, in our sense of the phrase as well as every other, commenced. The CRAVEN at Newmarket was the worst of its fellows almost within recollection there. The weather and the sport were alike the superlative of worst. In it, for the Riddlesworth, Lord Jersey's Derby colt ACHMET made his debût: he won that Stake; another for 200 sovs. each, five subscribers; walked over for the Bruton Street Stakes of 100 sovs. each, four subs.; and the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes in