It was, during the reign of James I., however, that the race-horse as now known to us began to be developed. That monarch, determined England should be foremost in the art of horse-breeding, purchased from a Mr. Markham an Arabian horse that set a distinct mark on the national stud; the animal is reputed to have cost £154, a very considerable sum of money in the days of the first James. The horse proved a "duffer" on the racecourse, but was doubtless of service in "blooding" the then courser of the nation. The King, not disheartened by the want of the quality of speed in the foreigner, purchased the White Turk from Mr. Place. The Duke of Newcastle having taken a dislike to the Arabians, endeavoured to write them down in his work, the "General System of Horsemanship." His opinion of the horse was that it possessed size, but, lacking substance, was not a weight carrier. During the reign of James I., horse-racing began to grow into a popular sport, and the rules and regulations then introduced for its conduct developed in time into the elaborate system with which we are now familiar. Of the Darley Arabian which laid the foundation of our modern stock of racing horses, a brief account may not be without interest. The Mr. Darley who obtained and sent to England this celebrated animal, was a merchant in the Levant with a wide circle of acquaintances; being a hunting man and Yorkshire to boot, he was possessed of good knowledge of horse flesh. Knowing the value of the Arabian horse, he exerted his interest to procure a famous example of the breed, and was so successful as to obtain a very fine animal at a moderate sum. The horse being quickly sent over to this country, was placed in charge of Mr. Darley's brother at Buttercramb near York, where he soon distinguished himself at the stud; he got Almanzor, Childers, Cupid, Brisk, Dædalus, Dart, Skipjack, Uranica, Aleppo, as also brother to Almanzor, which, however, from meeting with an accident, never ran on the turf.