Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-05-16
From the Journal of Commerce
Arabian Horses.


are misled with stories about Arabia
u horses, and net unfrequently there ar
exhibitions Of animals said to be Of Ar
abian stock, which excite more or les
wonderment, and attract more or less Gu
y rlous visitors. There is a great want a
information in this as well as other coun
tries, and the truth is very little under
u stood about them west OF the deserts nj
Asia.
In the first place, there are good and
poor horses among the Arabs, high and
base blood, worthless and priceless ami.
mails, just MS here. Hence there are
plenty of horses, concerning which the
owner may affirm under oath. that they
are pure Arabians, which are. neverthe-
less, not worth dollar apiece. The
American horse of the wild stock is An
daiusian by origin, brought here by the
Spaniards, was brought into Spain from
the East and crossed with Moorish blood
which last came from the Arabian stock.
so that the American horse is in fact of
Arabian descent.
But the horse which the Arab of the
East loves, admires, and extols in song
and story-the horse about which we
have all read thousand stories. and
which we have in mind when We speak .
of Arabian horses, is an animal of that
high value that money cannot compen-
safe for it, and until very recently was
unknown in any stable off from the dcs-
ert No English or French stable pos
ssssed hhamsa horse, ten years ago,
and the Vieeroy of Egypt with 200 bor-
ses IN his stod was unable to procure one
OF those highly priced mares.
hhamsa is the Arabian numeral five. {
Tradition says Mahommed owned five I
mares, from which all the blood mares [
and horses Of Arabia are descended I
The Bedouin who owns a mare Of the t
hhamsa blood will not part with her for !
money. The horse is his fortune, his Is
'atety in the IshmaeltisE life of the des- u
'ri, his means of life. Money would be iC
II bot days value to him. He must ri
i've it away or bury it in the sand but az
f he loses his horse he might almost as h'
veil resign life at once. m
The story known in Cairo, and well e'
uthenticated, of the attempt of Ibraham II
'asha to possess himself of a celebrated ne
'are owned by sheik of some renown. "
Iustrates the difficulty of procuring ma
lese horses. This mare lad desert an
ide reputation. Ibrabam sent various tai
ters to her owner, until he actually Of
red the equivalent of $4,000 for her
'd failing to tempt the Bedouin, he sent =
officer with five hundred men, TO can. an
re the animal, hut her willy master rode Oh
ound them and laughed at them. The he'
elk died of a wound received ip frav, the
'ving no children, and no property but ter
IS mare and one black slave. lie be- t|i
eathed the mare and his arms to the up
ter who, according to oriental rule StH
o inherits like a son the duty of "blood the
'engc.' For long time the Nubian BY,
his mare was the terror Of the tribe dro
.ch caused his masters death. He ing
uld sweep throgh their encampment ella
e thunderbolt, leaving his spear in was
ne luckless breast, and no horse on the nan
ert could overtake him as he went thef
ny on the swift mare. He and the org
re have disappeared only within ten or ing
N years. elbo
With certain exceptions, Of which we 1
Il speak, no pure Arabians Of the the
amsa breed have ever been brought " le'
America Nor had any, as we have iorg
arked, been brought into Western at th
'ope until within few years when the sh
'eror of France is believed to have 40 n
ned two. An American gentleman opin
lrge wealth, and well known among
lovers Of fine horses at the West and 4
tn, Mr.. Richards, of New Orleans. the
e making tour Of pleasure in the Sh"oI
took means which we will not pause oeis
canine to obtain two Arab horses of their
hhamsa blood. Subsequently, two one
lemen, friend and a relative of HIr. hurt,
iards, passed two years in the East, piIal.
g some time among the Auazee Be- ers o.
ms on the desert of Palmyra, east of G"''
ascus, and brought to America some that
ldid additions to Mr.. Richards stud. form,
ie horses and mares we're magnificent with
ais. One of them, named Masoul 40
of great reputation in the East ~" -
+, well known dragoman, celebra- ~
S Mr. Ross Browns hero, and who poor
a name to that gentleman's book of every
ern travel, stole the horse from the
'uins. Be it known that to steal a 81