278 A HISTORY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



ants. They proceeded to Great Britain, and 

 ' after careful examination of many of the lead- 

 ing herds in England, Scotland and Ireland they 

 purchased ten bulls and twenty-one cows and 

 heifers. These were shipped on the sailing ves- 

 sel Georgia, which had a stormy passage of some 

 sixty days' duration. Three bulls and one heifer 

 died at sea, but the rest were duly landed at 

 Philadelphia in July, 1857. Following the prac- 

 tice of their predecessors in the older States the 

 stockholders decided to divide up the cattle 

 through the medium of an auction sale. It was 

 first agreed, in order that the full benefit of this 

 importation might accrue to the State of Illi- 

 nois, to bar all bidders from other States. The 

 sale was held on the local fair-grounds at Spring- 

 field Aug. 27, 1857, and attracted widespread in- 

 terest. There was not only a. great attendance 

 from Illinois but numerous breeders were pres- 

 ent as spectators from adjacent States. It was a 

 great event in the early agricultural history of 

 the West.* It was an exciting day at Spring- 



To Mr. William Brown, son of the late Capt. James N. Brown, the 

 author is indebted for a copy of the original catalogue of this memorable 

 sale, the title-page of which reads, "Catalogue of Pure-Blooded Short- 

 Horned Cattle, also Horses, Sheep and Hogs, owned by the Illinois Import- 

 ing Association." The horses seem to have consisted of a three-year-old 

 Cleveland Bay stallion, a two-year-old Thoroughbred stallion and a black 

 Thoroughbred mare that unfortunately died before the sale. The sheep 

 consisted of Cotswolds and Southdowns, the latter mainly from the flock 

 of Jonas Webb, the breeder of the bull King Alfred, to be mentioned. The 

 swine consisted of Berkshires from the herds of E. Bowly of Siddington, 

 Hewer of Highworth and others, and of Irish, Cumberland and Yorkshire 



