y far from being
definitely settled.

I do not regard the opinions of Europeans as having a more direct
bearing upon this question, or as tending to establish any more
definite and positive conclusions regarding it than have been developed
by the experience of our own border citizens, the major part of whose
lives has been spent in the saddle; yet I am confident that the
following brief description of the horse equipments used in different
parts of Europe, the substance of which I have extracted from Captain
M'Clellan's interesting report, will be read with interest and
instruction.

The saddle used by the African chasseurs consists of a plain wooden
tree, with a pad upon the top, but without skirts, and is somewhat
similar to our own military saddle, but lower in the pommel and cantle.
The girth and surcingle are of leather, with an ordinary woolen
saddle-blanket. Their bridle has a single head-stall, with the Spanish
bit buckled to it.

A new saddle has recently been introduced into the French service by
Captain Cogent, the tree of which is cut out of a single piece of wood,
the cantle only being glued on, and a piece of walnut let into the
pommel, with a thin strip veneered upon the front ends of the bars. The
pommel and cantle are lower than in the old model; the whole is covered
with wet raw hide, glued on and sewed at the edges. The great advantage
this saddle possesses is in being so arranged that it may be used for
horses of all sizes and conditions. The saddle-blanket is made of thick
felt cloth, and is attached to the pommel by a small strap passing
through holes in the blanket, which is thus prevented from slipping,
and at the same time it raises the saddle so as to admit a free
circulation of air over the horse's spine.

The Hungarian saddle is made of hard wood entirely uncovered, with a
raised pommel and cantle. The seat is formed with a leather strap four
inches wide nailed to the forks on the front and rear, and secured to
the side-boards by leather thongs, thus giving an elastic and easy
saddle-seat. This is also the form of the saddle-tree used by the
Russian and Austrian cavalry. The Russians have a leather girth
fastened by three small buckles: it passes over the tree, and is tied
to the side-boards. The saddle-blanket is of stout felt cloth in four
thicknesses, and a layer of black leather over it, and the whole held
together by leather thongs passing through and through. When the horse
falls