books-looks-and business-strict,-you understand! The favourable-I mean the kidney-end of any thing; that is, the other side of any thing comfortable-that is, THIS side,-and all is relaxationunbounded music and conviviality! I see you are not a traveller.” "Not a profitable one,-but I really

“I see it !—your whip explains you :-pretty, but not useful. I saw you at once-by it."

"Do you sing?"

"Never till three and twenty minutes before ten! and then only once."

A pull at the bell brought the waiter. He brought a robust pint of the same sublime port in the quart decanter-looked inquiringly at me, and, after a pause, departed in a confirmed disgust at my not being a traveller; and my friend bumpered-and looked flushed and quiet!

My intelligent companion, filled and emptied now with active alacrity-and just as I was about to ask him whether he did most. business in the villages or their outskirts-he placed his delectable digits across his waistcoat-interweaved and replied to me over a vacant wine glass and a deserted decanter-with a profound esssence of sigh and snore.

This then, said I, is the traveller!-the commercial man of experience! asleep, with his eyes open, until the hour of dinner ;-and asleep, with his eyes closed, afterwards! A stupid, working, bellydevotee and druggist! What in short and in reality have I encountered, but a travelling STOMACH-PUMP!

The waiter cleared away the glasses; and the chambermaid—with a small candle and a fat warming-pan-cleared away the man; and I saw no more of the traveller that had seen life!

SEER.

SIR,

ON ARAB HORSES.

MANY of your readers are constantly saying it is useless to breed from Arabs the enclosed article on their breed, ways of rearing and breeding, and the places where the best breed may be procured, would be perhaps acceptable to your excellent publication.

There are three breeds of horses in Syria; the true Arab breed, the Turkman, and the Kourdy, which is a mixture of the two former. The Arab horses are small, full of sinew and bone, remarkably strong in their back, loins, thighs, and hocks: the shoulder appears to be the faulty point, as the scapula is short, rather upright, but, notwithstanding, the action is generally fine and vigorous. To counterbalance

NO. XCV.-VOL. XVI.

2 B

these faults, the shoulder is very muscular and very thick in the upper part, and very light at the extremity; they rarely exceed fourteen hands; but few are ill formed, and they have all certain characteristic beauties which distinguish their breed from any other. The Arabs count five noble breeds of horses, descended, as they say, from the five favourite mares of the Prophet-Taueyse, Maneykeye, Koheyl, Sakláwye, and Dgulfe.

On the birth of a colt of noble breed, it is usual to assemble some witnesses and to write an account of the colt's distinctive marks, with the names of its sire and dam. The pedigree is often put into a small piece of leather and hung round the horse's neck. The following is a specimen :

"God"
"Enoch' ""

"In the name of the most merciful God, the Lord of all creatures : peace and prayers be with our Lord Mahomed, his family and followers until the day of judgment. The present deed relates to the greyish brown colt, with four white feet, of the true breed of Sakláwye called Obeyan, whose skin is as bright and unsullied as milk, resembling those horses of which the Prophet said, 'True riches are a noble and fierce breed of horses.' The sire of this colt is the excellent bay horse called Merdgan, of the breed of Koheylan; its dam the famous white Sakláwy mare, known by the name of Dgeroria."

The Arabs themselves often pay as much as two hundred pounds for a celebrated mare, and the price has amounted even to more than five hundred pounds. The present Sheekh of the Maualys has a mare for the "half of whose belly" (in Arab phraseology) he paid four hundred pounds. Immediately after the birth of a colt the Arabs tie its ears together over its head with a thread, that they may assume a fine pointing direction: at the same time they press the tail of the colt upwards, and take other measures whereby it may be carried high. The only care taken of the dam after she has produced her colt is to wrap a piece of linen round her body: the linen is removed the next day. The colts remain with the dam thirty days, after which they are weaned and reared on camels' milk. For the space of one hundred days after the colts have been weaned it is not permitted to give them any other food than camels' milk; even water is not allowed. After that time the colt receives a daily portion of wheat diluted with water at first a handful: this is gradually increased, but the milk still continues to be the colt's principal food.

Such is the colt's diet for one hundred days more: during the latter of which he is permitted to feed on grass. The second period of one

hundred days being elapsed, barley is given; and if camels' milk is abundant, a bucket every evening with the allowance of barley.

During the whole year, the horses stand in the open air and are rarely ill. The Arabs never clean or rub their horses, but are careful in walking them gently when they return after a ride.

For the strangles, they burn some blue linen (which has been dyed with indigo) and let the smoke ascend into the horse's nose: this occasions a copious discharge. For the pole evil, they burn the flesh all round the swelling.

The finest race may be found in Syria, and the best district is Hauram. Most of the horses purchased at Basra for the Indian market belong to the Montefyk Arab, who have not the pure breed: this accounts for the badness of the horses which are occasionally sent from India to England. Fine horses of the Khomse are more numerous than the common horses belonging to the same breeds; but still, among those fine horses there can be found only a few worthy of being entitled "first rate" in respect of size, bone, beauty, and action; perhaps not five among a whole tribe. It seems a fair and probable calculation to say, that the Syrian deserts do not furnish more than two hundred of that preeminent description, each of which may be estimated in the desert itself at from 1501. to 2001. The Arab horses are purchased at Bombay at an average of 701.; this satisfactorily proves that they are not of the highest caste; and as almost all the Arabs which have been imported here have come from India, it will account for the Arab blood being at such a discount. There have been some splendid exceptions. The Darley Arabian came direct from Syria, and was of the Maneykeye tribe; a century afterwards Mr. Manesty, the consul at Aleppo, sent over some, and amongst them one of the pure Maneykeye, which was purchased by Lord Dartmouth. Mr. Cole sent over a chesnut horse of great merit; Sir W. Rumbold another, which the King of Prussia bought.

The Imaum of Muscat sent to His Majesty William the Fourth two very fine horses and two mares of high castes. The highest bred mare was purchased by Sir Tatton Sykes, the other by Mr. P. Duncomb. The two horses, from their beauty and bone, would have made a valuable cross for some of our long and bad-legged thorough-bred mares, but they were unfortunately sold to go into Germany. The King of Wurtemburg has a few Arabs of the true blood, and it is well worth going a long way to examine them.

HASSAN ABDALLAH.

THE CIGARISTS.

A PASTORAL.

"Ex fumo dare lucem."

"Think of this when you smoke tobacco."-OLD SONG.

'Tis night, and o'er the faggot's cheerful glare,
Strephon sits smoking in his easy chair,
And artless Corydon (Old Bond Street's pride)
Inhales a mild Havannah by his side.
Between -a round and ready table stands
Prepared to give whate'er each hand demands:
Here it sustains the deep capacious cup,
By that, the simmering pot to fill it up ;
And there, reposing in his cedar car
Basks the brown beauty of the rich cigar.
Content sits smiling o'er each gentle swain,
And sense and humour animate the twain ;
Whiles ever and anon, through whiffs of smoke,
Rings the loud laugh, and speeds the frequent joke.
And thus, as onward roll'd the instructive tide,
Wise Strephon spoke, and Corydon replied.

STREPHON.

"Vain pomps and glories of the world," good night!
Where are my woes, when once my weed's alight?
CORYDON.

Now, as the vapours harmonize each sense
To one full chord of rich benevolence,

Teach me, (oh! thou, by long experience taught !)
And cheaply sell the knowledge, time has bought:
Then to the task, my Strephon, straight proceed,
Kindly unveil the mysteries of the weed.

STREPHON.

My Corydon! let caution be your care,

When first you taste the sweets of a cigar;

Choose you the weed, whose smooth and well bound skin,
Foretells the flesh is plump and firm within;
Whose hazel-form, nor hard nor soft, is such,
That while it yields, it yet defies the touch;

Whose polished hide displays the frequent stain,
Which proves that long immured the leaf has lain;
While gradual tapering from its pregnant waist
It dwindles to a curly twig at last.

CORYDON.

And I with vigorous thumb, and horny nail,
Should cut away the unnecessary tail.

STREPHON.

-Ah Corydon forbear! nor rashly rend
From your cigar, that light and crisped end :
Lest, being deprived of this, (a guarding coil,)
You with the smoke, inhale the insidious oil.
(Black is this poison when the leaf is young.)
First, damp the surface with the pliant tongue;
Then, with firm lips, and teeth, that press, not bite,
Clasp the brown luxury and prepare to light.
Let not the candle's false obsequious glare

Allure the eager mouth to kindle there,
Pollution hovers o'er the greasy wick,

Infects the weed, and turns the palate sick.
But if 'tis yours, strike flint and steel, to show

The glowing spark in Punk or Amadou.

Here let thy Strephon, Corydon, proclaim

His first great maxim," Light from fire, not flame!"

CORYDON.

If on the parched tongue a thirst should be,

Should Bacchus join my sober revelry ?

And while the blue wreaths curl around my nose,
Should the red wine-cup rise and interpose?

STREPHON.

He who drinks wine, while revelling in cigars,
In mingling both, the sweets of either mars;
For wine with weeds, (if that the taste be just,)
Jars on the palate, and creates disgust.
Thus, when some monster ignorant of song,
(While tuneful melodists their notes prolong,)
Shrieks, uninvited, a discordant C,

Or (hateful) growls an inappropriate B;
By mingling his, (gratuitous buffoon!)

He mars their notes, and puts them out of tune;
And they will turn in anger and surprise,

And chorus something serious at his eyes.