FIRST IMPORTATIONS TO AMERICA. 173 



descendants of these cattle, crossed by bulls 

 from Col. Powells herd, presently to be men- 

 tioned, were purchased by the Holland Land 

 Co. for the benefit of the settlers upon that 

 corporation's lands near Batavia, in Western 

 New York, and were carefully bred for many 

 years. 



The"Seventeens." The first direct impor- 

 tation from England into the territory west of 

 the Alleghenies was made by Col. Lewis San- 

 ders of Kentucky, "a gentleman of character 

 and position," who was at this time actively 

 engaged in manufacturing, merchandising and 

 farming. He resided latterly in Gallatin Coun- 

 ty not far from where the Kentucky River 

 flows into the Ohio, a short distance below Cin- 

 cinnati. The following statement as to the 

 cattle purchased on his order in 1817 is in Col. 

 Sanders' own language : 



"I was induced to send the order for the cattle (in the fall of 

 1816) by seeing an account of Charles Colling's great sale in 1810. 

 At this sale enormous prices were paid 1,000 guineas for the bull 

 Comet. This induced me to think there was a value unknown to 

 us in these cattle, and as I then had the control of mean deter- 

 mined to procure some of this breed. For some years previous 1 

 was in the regular receipt of English publications on agricultural 

 improvements and improvements in the various descriptions of 

 stock. From the reported surveys of counties I was pretty well 

 posted as to the localities of the most esteemed breeds of cattle 

 My mind was made up, fixing on the Short-horns as most suitable 

 for us. I had frequent conversations on this matter with my 

 friend and neighbor Capt. William Smith, then an eminent breeder 

 of cattle. He was thoroughly impressed in favor of the old Long- 

 horn breed. To gratify him and to please some old South Branch 

 feeders 1 ordered a pair of Long-horns, and was more willing to do 



