September 26, 1895.]
confidence has been restored, and the China trade has once more entered on a period of prosperity which we trust may be long con- tinued. The shipping trade and the import and export trades are all in a sound posi- tion and there is less cutthroat competition than there has sometimes been. Naturally there will be periods of depression in the future as there have been in the past, but at present we are enjoying a wave of pros- perity and the severe lessons of the past light to enable the community to take ad- vantage of it and to avoid the rocks on which financial shipwreek has been made before.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
and for endurance on starvation commons. These are qualities which redeem him, and give him a steady place in the affection of all Eastern sportsmen.
Thirty steeds both fleet and wight Stood saddled in stable day and night, A hundred more stood free in stall,
Such was the custom of Branksome Hall,
229
number of forty thousand; the arts of riding and racing were assiduously cultivated, the military craft was honourable, and horse- soldiery, as among contemporary Westerns, Mr. TAYLOR's venture is not the first marked its climax. During the HAN attempt in this direction When the allies dynasty (200 B.C.—200 A.D.) the horse left Chihli in 1862 the cavalry officers, deteriorated with everything else in the instead of sending their mares and horses to South the growing pressure of population the knackers, wisely let them go for nothing and the increase of waterways pro to the dealers, who were easily persuaded to bably crushed him out of existence as a take them up to the plateau. For some coadjutor of man in the labour market. years the Tientsin and Shanghai experts Equine matters improved under the T'ANGS were confident that they saw the effects of || (600—900 A.D.) : hippo again waxed grent these new strains. Professer FLEMING, the in the North and at one time the pony popu- distinguished Army yet, was at that time ||lation reached 800,000. Then once more, Hongkong is enjoying it full share of the in China and made an intimate acquaintance under the SUNGS, just before MARCO POLO'S general prosperity, and we have good with the Mongol pony both in Chilli and time, he waned, and the country went down indications of the confidence entertained for Manchuria. He expressed strong doubts under the hoofs of the Mongol chargers— the future in the rapidity with which the if cross breeding could in any way im-Nemesis in the shape of the animal they Praya Reclamation is being utilised for prove the animal without sacrificing its pre- had neglected. Old MARCO MILLIONE deals building and the activity that characterises eminent merit of endurance. Since that with his usual numerical liberality when he the share market. There is a large amount time, however, things have spoutaneously introduces the horse. He ascribes 100,000 of money seeking investment, much of which improved, and the Professor's fears have not troopers to an ordinary Tartar Prince going is going into shares. The business in this been realized. The ponies which now come
forth to war. The pony in his day not only direction is the more satisfactory inasmuch down are certainly better bred, better carried his master eight or nine hundred as it is almost all being done on a cash basis shaped, and faster than formerly. The high miles in ten consecutive days, but nourished and in the few cases in which time bargains prices offered for pace and sometimes for his rider by allowing his veins to be tappped are entered into the numbers of the shares shape in Hongkong and Shanghai have no for refreshing draughts of blood. KUBLAI are given. The gambling element is almost doubt contributed to this. The dealers have keeps a stud of 10,000 "all pure white entirely absent and in its place we have stimulated the breeders and artificial without a spec" and at New Year receives sound investment. Most stocks have ex-selection has largely superseded natural 100,000 ditto as presents.. perienced a substantial rise in values, due selection among the studs. The smaller partly to the amount of money seeking in- men who keep four or five mares and one vestment and the reduction in the bank horse have been especially successful, rate of interest on advances and though unlike the Aberdeen "farmers with partly to the excellent earning powers their bulls, they have not yet learned the displayed by the majority of our advantage of a rotation of sires. For years, local public companies. Of course the if not for centuries, the coarseness of the advance cannot continue indefinitely, and breeding has been fully explained by its it may perhaps be questioned whether absolute promiscuousness. it has not been proceeding perhaps a little Racing men will probably be willing to too rapidly, but at all events the shares are sacrifice endurance for speed, much as honestly brought and paid for and are not carriage owners would willingly sacrifice used simply as counters in a game of beggar it for "form"; but we have our doubts my neighbour. As to the future of business
on other grounds if Mr. FLEMING's pro- in general, the prospect is bright even on gnostic is justifiable. The fact that a China the present basis, but we are likely soon to pony in Mongol hands borders on starvation see a development of foreign commercial all his life shows that his powers of endurance relations in China which will greatly are occult in their origin. Our own augment the volume or business. The cou- opinion is that they are kiefly due to the clusion of the commercial ut as thetween wise conservatism of tad takes in keeping Japan and China will probation to stay
their colts and minusoners; also the market
pulses. revision of the commercial clausug trip
and off the stud until they are treaties between China and most of prin-matured. The vicious prematuren.... cipal powers, and in the process the horse life which now obtains in England privileges secured to foreign trade by the and in Europe is unknown to the Tartar. Shimonoseki treaty, substantial as they are, Two-year-old racing fould seem all but will in all likelihood be considerably criminal and certainly fatuous to them; a extended.
horse's racing days with them begins at five, six, or even seven, a time when his English relative is either adorning a four-wheeler or the barrow of the catsmeat man, if he has Our Tientsin correspondent states the in- not been lucky enough to be relegated to teresting fact that Lieut. TAYLOR, R.A., of the mares. If this rational tardiness is to Hongkong, is now in the northern port en mark any results of Mr. TAYLOR's new de- route for Mongolia with an Australian mare.parture, we shall have to wait a good while Mr. TAYLOR hopes to arrange an experiment to make comparisons; if unhappily, Western in breeding with some intelligent Mongol. example is followed the experiment will lose This spirited attempt will be watched with much of its instructiveness. Verb. sap.! much interest by all lovers of the China pony up and down the litoral. The uncouth little brute known as the China pony at present embodies nearly all the demerits to which horseflesh is heir: a rascally and vicious temper, a big head a short neck, a thick though strong shoulder, a concave and hard ridged back, skimpy loins, and huge bonyhams. His unkempt shaggy coat intensifies all these to the nth degree. Yet with all his faults we love him; he is so staunch and plucky, so indefinitely im- provable when treated patiently and firmly. The world all over may give an easy lead in most respects to the pampered (9) jades of Asia, but all the same we doubt if they have their peers on the globe for spirit
THE CHINA PONY.
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but this was sheer poverty to the great KHAN'S paddocks: his meanest post stable had 200 saddled and bridled and 200 feeding free in stall, and his postal establishment reached the enormous aggregate of 300,000. The latter day Chinaman has truly some reason to hate the big soliped, seeing his country has been three times invaded and his Government destroyed by its prowess; but for the obverse reason the gross negli- gence now displayed towards the horse by the Manchus is inexplicable, except on the Cavalry grounds of universal dry rot. played no part in the late war, although its potentiality on the Chinese side was in- finite. If the Imperial Government could spare a few commissioners and a modest sum of money to follow the example now being set to them gallant young British through more to revive the officer they thers, se antique prowess o paid ancestors than by a century of diploma, went as
fagus
mao pirates wer
d then returned (HË JAPANESE AL the launch in who, now FORMOSA.
The fite of the so-called Formosan Re- public will soon be put to the test. The Black Flag Chief, who has certainly shown more administrative ability than most of the Chinese Generals during the War, be ready to receive the professes to Japanese, but there can be no doubt of the The existing neglect of the horse on the result when the two forces meet, if a serious part of the Chinese is only one phase of that engagement ever does take place. The date universal degeneration which has under- of a collision cannot be far off. According mined the national vitality. In the millen- to the plan laid down, unless prevented by nium before Christ, under the Cr'aos, the typhoons or other similar causes, Viscount Chinese bred horses with all the success TAKESIMA, the Vice Governor-General which even in these days marks their proof Formosa, as Commander-in-Chief was to leave for the South by sea about creation of the humble ass and his mor- ganatic kinsman the mule. The Ch'o the 18th instant, and the combined Emperors legislated for the horse with a attack at Anping and Tainan zeal and a success equal to those which to ALEXANDER the Great bestowed on the horses of Cappadocia. Horses were classified roughly as bloods, chargers, shire-horses, post-horses, hacks, and common beasts of burden; and mongrelism was strictly forbidden. The Imperial cavalry reached the respectable
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was
commence about the 25th instant. Owing, however, to the recent ball weather these movement have probably been some- what delayed; but we ought to hear some decisive news from Formosa before the end of the week, including no doubt the over- throw of the Black Flags and the establish-
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