—are horses brought from the coast of Barbary, and mostly consigned as presents to His Majesty, or some other branch of the royal family. Those arriving under such distinction, are to be considered the true MOUNTAIN BARB, the pedigree of whose blood has been recorded with as much tenacity and care as the genealogy of our most ancient nobility. Barbs (as they are called) are to be found in the possession of many people of fashion and fortune in England, but they are in general of inferior degree, and thought to be only the common horses of the country from whence they came: such there are at all times to be obtained through the intervening medium of Provence and Languedoc in France; but in this kingdom they are held in very slender estimation; not more for their deficiency in growth and strength, than the aukwardness of their action.
Barbs were formerly in great request here; and neither trouble or expence was spared to obtain them, for the sole purpose of improving the speed of our own breed for the TURF, where, upon the various events in RACING at Newmarket, and in the north, immense sums are frequently depending; and from the various crosses in blood, the breeding in and in, with the different fancied interlineations by different individuals, it is affirmed, by some of those best versed in racing pedigree, that there are at this time a very few (if any) thorough bred English horses, but what have a cross of foreign blood in their composition. To elucidate or justify this opinion, reference may be made to the well authenticated list of Barbs and Arabians, who have contributed, as stallions, more or less, to the increase of the most select and valuable studs in every part of the kingdom.
The Helmsley Turk (one of the first we can go back to) was the property of an old Duke of Buckingham, and afterwards of Mr. Place, (studmaster to Oliver Cromwell when Protector,) in whose possession he got Bustler, &c. Mr. Place had also a stallion, called Place's White Turk, who was the sire of Wormwood, Commoner, and other good horses.
The Stradling or Lister Turk was brought into England by the Duke of Berwick, from the siege of Buda, in the reign of James the Second. He got Snake, Brisk, Piping Peg, Coneyskins, &c.
The Byerley Turk was Captain Byerley's charger in Ireland in King William's wars, 1689, and was afterwards the sire of many good runners.
Greyhound was got in Barbary by a white Barb, out of Slugey, a natural Barb mare. After the leap, both sire and dam were purchased and brought to England by Mr. Marshall, where the sire became one of King William's stud, and was called the "White Barb Chillaby." Greyhound was the sire of Othello, Whitefoot, Osmyn, Rake, Sampson, Goliah, Favorite, Desdemona, and others.
D'Arcy White Turk got old Hautboy, Grey Royal, Cannon, &c.
D'Arcy Yellow Turk was the sire of Spanker, Brimmer, and the great great grand-dam of Cartouch.
Curwen's Bay Barb was a present from Muly Ishmael, Emperor of Morocco, to Lewis the Fourteenth, and was brought to England by Mr. Curwen, who procured from Count Byram and Count Thoulouse (natural sons of the French King) the two horses afterwards called the Curwen Bay Barb and Thoulouse Barb, both which proved excellent stallions, getting a great number of winners, and transmitting their blood through the sisters of Mixbury to Partner, Little Scar, Soreheels, and the dam of Crab; as well as to Bagpiper, Blacklegs, Panton's Molly, and the dam of Cinnamon.
Darley's Arabian was brought over by a brother of Mr. Darley in Yorkshire, who being a commercial agent abroad, exerted his interest to procure the horse. He was sire of the famous horse Childers, (who was said to have ran a mile in a minute,) Dædalus, Dart, Skipjack, Aleppo, and other good horses.