Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-09-02

and stables is-extraeted from oDe,ef the ad-
mirable "Letters from Aigiers, written over
the signature Of phantom in the London
field: :>-.... -..r--.----r..r..
y The town Of Biidah was totally destroyed
by an earthquake in the year 1925 and 49,.
600 persons are supposedsto have been bu-
ried in its ruins. The survivors retired to a
distance Of .abouta mile from the old toRn,
with the intention of raising new city;
hoyeyer, their love for their old haunts in.
duced- them soons.o abandon .tnis~ idea, and
a new town arose from amidst the ruins of
the old one BGdsh was aurnamed the svs,
luptous' by the inhabitants of Algiers; lis
situation at the. foot of the Atlas Mountains,
andits beautiful environs-with their stately
orange gmves, combine to rsnder.it. . most
attractive city. It is here that the Govern.
ment have placed their establishment for i'm.
proving the breed of Arab horses. A French
officer was so kind as to take us over the
stud
The civility and genuine good-heartedness
Of all those Frerch gentlemen We had the
happiness to become acquainted with, added
greatly to the enjoyment Of our visit to Al
geria, and we shall always entertain q lively
recollection of the hospitality and. consider
alton shown Us by our French friends, ..
The stud is composed Of about forty hor-
ses. There are horses from Syria, Tunis,
Morocco, and Algeria. Some of them have
been bought for large sums. Ell MAJ,
white Syrian horse, Of great strength, and
standing about fifteen hands cost one thous-
and guineas, and was a present from the
Emperor. I was also much struck with the
symmetry of, q little chesnut horse, up to
immense weight, called Maihsdin, which
was bred near Blidah. During the Spring
months, these horses make the tour of the
Provinces, SO that any Arab may improve
the breed of their-animals, gratis, receiving
at the same time, certificate of the parent
age of the colt. The stables are all open
sheds, having. straw blinds in front, which
may be let down, as a protection against
either wind, rain, or sun. The food Of the
horses consist of barley-straw, with little
barley. They are we'll cared for, and treated
with scrupulous kindness. The docility is
astonishing 1t isa striking sight, to see SO
many entire horses standing In long open
sheds, without partitions, close together, and
merely fastened with the usual cord, which
hobbies them all by the fore leg.
AS have before observed the wind Of
these horses is quite astonishing. Some
times, in expeditions against the Arabs, the
French soldiers have been in the saddle from
five A. M. till ten P. NJ, and perform dis
tance of eighty-fve miles without giving a
mouthful of food to the horses. The horses
when on march never sleep under cover;
they are always ready for work, and never
fail anything. Three things are inispensa-
BILE to an Arab horse-a good eye, good
foot, and a good appetite. The price for
regimental horses varies from three hundred
to four hundred francs. The Arabs illus
trate their estimate of the different color Of
horses by the following tale: A chief of
tribe was once pursued by his enemies. He
said to his son, MY SOD, drop to the rear,
and tell me the color of the horses of our
foe-and may Allah burn his grandfatherp
white was the answer. Then we will 90
SOUTH said the chief; for in the vast plains
of the desert the wind of white horse will
not stand in a protracted chase Again the
chief said, my son, what colored horses
now pursue us? BLACK, o, my father
Then we will go amongst the stones and on
the rocky ground, for the feet of black hor-
ses are not strong. A third time the young
Arab was sent to the rear, and reported
chestnut horses. sThen,' said the old chief,
I'VE are lost; who but Allah can deliver US
from chesnut horses7' Dun or cream COL
orsd horses the Arabs consider worthless,