A HISTORY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



1839 and 1844 he imported, in connection with 

 Mr. S. P. Chapman, about fifteen head of cat- 

 tle. In 1840 he bought from Thomas Bates, 

 through Mr. Etches of Liverpool, the roan bull 

 calf Duke of Wellington (3654), that was sired 

 by the Duchess bull Short Tail (2621) and had 

 for dam the noted Oxford Premium Cow, win- 

 ner at the first show ever held by the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England. This purchase 

 constituted the earliest importation of the 

 Duchess and Oxford blood into this country.* 

 Mr. Vail also bought from Mr. Bates a cow 

 called Duchess, although not belonging to the 

 family of that name. She was a white daugh- 

 ter of Duke of Northumberland (1940) out of 

 Nonesuch 2d by Belvedere (1706). This cow 

 produced the two bulls Meteor 104 and Sym- 

 metry 166, both by Duke of Wellington, but 

 died without leaving female progeny. Mr. Vail 

 showed a marked partiality for Bates blood and 

 subsequently imported the red heifer Lady Bar- 

 rington 3d, bred by Mr. Bates from Cleveland 

 Lad (3407) out of Lady Barrington 2d by Bel- 

 vedere (1706). From Messrs. Thomas and Rob- 

 ert Bell, tenants of Mr. Bates, he obtained the 



* It may be of some interest to state that from an entry in the Kirklev- 

 ingrton accounts, bearing- date of June 3, 1840, it appears that Mr. Vail paid 

 for Duke of Wellington and Duchess the sum of 200. It appears from a 

 letter written by Mr. Bates to Mr. Vail in 184:5 that 100 guineas each was be- 

 ing asked for such cattle as Bates was willing 1 to spare. In this same letter 

 Bates adds. " The tribes of really g-ood Short-horns are very few. I have 

 tried myself above two hundred varieties. Out of these I have but six 

 tribes which I do not mean to part with." 



