The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-28
F0UR-IIUNDRED MILE RACE.
hRUN FROM BERLIN TO vIExxA.
Nearly 200 Entries-333 Austrian and 343
German oncers 20 Euter-Epglish
ThorouShbrcds as Swimmers.

ShiItN ny tu' GNU MUS cnllith nearly
seven hundred in number-made for an
international horse race, open TO officers
OF the Austrian and German armies,
which has just closed in both those CAPT
tails. No fewer than three hundred and
thirty-threc Austrian and three hundred
and forty three German officers propose
90 compete, a number much larger than
had been expected. The event is TO come
of next October, and the course over
which il is 10 be decided is nearly four
hundred miles I'm length The rec
will extend from Vienna 10 Berlin. or
vice versa, as may be setted hereafter
between the competing horsemen.. Every
officer Is SO ride what weight he pleases,
OF as Nature prescrlbes, and no attempt
will be made 20 equaliZe the conditions
under which they meet 10y h0ndicapping
them IN conformity with some uniform
standard. The rider who accomplishes
the distance IN the shortest time
second 1--WE hundred, and the third three
hundred pounds, and in addition there
viii be other money prizes for distri-
button. Ia the event of the winner being
n German, he vii receive q present
from the hand Of Francis Joseph, En-
peror of Austria; while the same tribute
will be paid 10 an Austrian winner by
the Emperor William Of Germany.
Moreover, prizes will be allotted TO horses
which arrive at the goal in better con
ditiOn than their fellows, although II rs
TO be feared that the noble animals will
not themselves be the recipients of these
hOnOrs. liz is estimated that the distance
vii be covered in four or five days; but
on this point 10 is impossible to hazard an
opinion without knowing the conditions
under which the competitive examination
will be conducted. Veterans IN this
country who are old enough 80 remember
the point-to-pOint steeplechases as TO
which the Sporting Magazines, published
between 1925 and 1850, have so much 10
record. will not need TO be reminded that
no rider who jumped into a lane or road
was allowed TO remain In it for more
than one hundred yards, and that on
leaving 10 he was forbidden TO 90 through
an open gate or to open one If closed. III
the conditions imposed upon the austrian
and German officers who are ABOUT 10
try friendly conclusions wit each
other over ground traversed in 1856 10y
the armies of their respective nations IN
hostile array are similar to those under
which the late Captain HOratiO Ross de-
feated Squire OsbaldestOn in 1876, the
above estimate may be considerably eN-
ceeded. In addition 20 being forbidden
80 pass through q gateway, neither OF the
two antagonists was allowed TO cross a
bridge. In other words, every rYer,
stream OF ditch encountered bad TO be
sWum, forded or jumped, and everybody
who knows anything about riding across
country WI admit that seven yards of
deem water will stop ininetS-nlne OF
every hundred hOrsemen out with the
hounds In fact it is certain that were
{ not for the bridges and bride roads
along which q vast majority of what are
euphemistically called followers of
hounds" are able 90 trOt or gallon, there
would be few men and still fewer OF the
gentler sex in at the death.
Be. the conditions Of the pOint-to-polnt
race from Berlin 10 Vienna what they
NAV. we heartily bail this attenpt to re-
yive practice which long years OF
peace have a tendency 20 discourage IN
the calvary forces of all nations In the
admirable Memoirs Of General Marriott
which appeared ia Paris about a year
since. it was stated that among the
causes which contributed TO the expul-
sion Of the French armies numbering at
one time two hundred thousand men,
from the Spanish Peninsula by an Eng-
ash force commanded by the Duhe OF
Wellington, which never exceeded Sky
thousand soldiers, was lncluueu Jhe
power Of rccOnnOiterng the enemy ana
az ascertaining his strength which the
Fnrlish possessed These Invaluable
functions were discharged by young cav
very officers generally on the stalls OF
the Iron Duke or of generals serving
under him, who fearlessly hung on me
TANKS Of the French armies anu OBJ
served their every motion and disposi-
ton. trusting 20 the feetness OF the
thoroughbred hunters upon when Jhey
were mounted. Let it not be forgotten
that the French CurasSaier VINO 1Ol-
lowed into the field such splendid leaders
Of cavalry as Murat, kellermann, NIL
hand and Lefebvre Desnouettes bestrode
baov,, stations. which as rule, never
went out of a trot but were too MASSIVE
ON the road when both are changing
for the light Hussar regiments OF LORD
ITxbridge or Sir Staplet0n Cotton 10
charge. To this day the Seventh HuS-
sars never meet the First Life Guards
racks without drawing up and saluung
e. heavy borsepen mounted on his
bir hack horses who rescued LORD TX
bridpe's pet regiment when severely nam
dled by Milhaud the day after Qualre
Rras Lord Uxbridge's greatest amDl-
zion was 90 admit none but light troopers
10 the Seventh Hussars, and TO mOunes
them all upon thoroughbred chargerS~t
possible, chestinuts. Admirable LOT
scouting purposes, ana well a0apteu 10
become the eyes and ears of an army,
like coats and secured the plain IKE Nir-
ellis Camilla were no match for Napo-
Icons grim Cuirassiers, each OF WhoIn
rode twenty-five stone, and was perched
1,non q steed resembling the bronze cart
horse bestridden by Marcus Aurelus on
The Capitolne HNl in Rome. Iraus-
fcrred. however, from their own element
90 thot which in the route Of LeipSlc
moved fatal 20 Prince Poniatowsli-one
If Napoleon's best cavalry generals-the
thoroughbreds of the English Hussar reg
iments were found much superior as
swimmers 80 the ponderous chargers
with which Kellermann won the gay at
NTarengo. For it is laid down by the
late Sir Francis Head-whom tnat Eih-
neror OF publishers" tn scond Mr.. Johns
Murray, regarded as one of his most
spirited Quarterly Reviewers, that
3oU thoroughbred horses swim hike
5ncks. whereas halfbreds often swim like
pigs and cut their own threats before
hs1f ygay across river. Such was GER
teinlv the experience Of the Duke or
"a eefroinster when he jumped into tho
rfvor Dee on the back Of an Irish half
br,d which he had just bought from the
IIonorable and Reverend Henry i. Chol-
,aondelcv. The Dukes hunter fought so
with his fOrclegs that his lntrepla IuSr
mad 10 disentangle himself from me SAD
die and 10 swim back to the pahS
which he had left. while ms horse lteeo
from weight. struggled TO tho. other sue
II is said in Virginia ana SCUM C5IG-
Hna-where the English thoroughDreu rs
held In the highest esteein-lna' DetssI
~ anv other equine" he can SWIM
streams with a buggy at ms heeis;; oucit
~ ~ moral tanoht by Colonel Edmund
- r.; ~ ~ go In DiXip'g Land.