CHAPTER III. 



HISTORY OF AMERICAN CATTLE INTRODUCED BY THE SPAN- 

 IARDS INTO MEXICO BY THE ENGLISH INTO VIRGINIA BY 



THE DUTCH INTO NEW YORK BY THE ENGLISH INTO OTHER 



COLONIES. 



IT has been said, or conjectured, by some speculative antiqua- 

 rians, that neat cattle were introduced to the Continent of 

 America by the "Northmen," who are supposed to have made 

 a descent on to the coast from North-western Europe some 

 centuries before the discovery of the Continent by Columbus. 

 This, however, is simply a conjecture, as no cattle were known 

 before they were brought out by the Spanish and Portuguese 

 emigrants, a few years after the voyages of Columbus. In the 

 year 1519, the Spaniard, Cortez, discovered Mexico. He first 

 made a landing at Vera Cruz, and not long afterwards pene- 

 trated to the City of Mexico, then ruled by Montezuma. The 

 object of Cortez and his party was conquest. They were 

 accompanied by a troop of horses, on which his cavalry were 

 mounted for military purposes ; but we have no account of any 

 cattle in his expedition. Mexico soon became a colony of Spain, 

 and was rapidly settled by emigrants from that country. Their 

 first object was gold, and trade with the natives, and to their 

 acquisitions followed agriculture, which brought in cattle from 

 Spain. 



We may suppose that cattle were introduced there as early as 

 the year 1525, and in the mild climate and abundant pasturage 

 which the country afforded, they rapidly increased. As Mexico 

 became peopled and spread her population along the coast, and 



