CLOSING EVENTS OF THE CENTURY. 753 



a seasoned judgment and an acquaintance on 

 both sides the water not excelled by any other 

 individual of his time. A shrewd, keen-witted, 

 "all-around" judge, "Willie" Miller ranks as 

 one of the makers of American Short-horn 

 history. 



The shipment of 1886. Canadian quaran- 

 tine restrictions had rendered impossible the 

 further forwarding of the Sittyton surplus to Mr. 

 Davidson, so that it came to pass that Mr.Cruick- 

 shank's final American outlet was through the 

 medium of Mr. Adams. Arriving in Aberdeen- 

 shire Mr. Miller repaired at once to Sittyton. 

 Mr. Cruickshank was well sold out of bulls at 



perience and close observation had made him so, and he only fought his 

 opponents with their own weapons. As a judge he was strictly impartial, 

 and as an all-round man was, so far as my observation goes, without an 

 equal. In the show-yard arena during the last twenty years I have watched 

 many an exhibitor and judge. Years ago I saw an Elliot of Hindhope, a 

 Booth of Warlaby, a Drewry of Holker take their parts in the play. In lat- 

 ter years all of us have seen a Tait of Windsor, Gibson of Canada, Billy 

 Leavitt in the Chicago Stock- Yards, and a host of others, all men of quick 

 perception; but when it came down to close judgment, whether it was a 

 hound, a horse, or a Hereford, I think John Hope would have got the laurel 

 wreath, for with him it was intuition. He was quick, keen, decisive, al- 

 most too rapid for the general public, but he was always there or there- 

 abouts when the best animal had to be picked from the bunch. 



"In personal appearance Hope was broad and burly, a grand specimen 

 of the English yeoman. Apart from his general contour his prominent 

 feature was the eye. He was the possessor of a pair of great luminous 

 blue eyes, that imparted to his appearance a singularly soft and winning 

 expression. When a child entered the room it invariably went straight to 

 him, and through those eyes beamed forth all that was tender and true in 

 his nature. Simple himself ao a child, generous to a fault, strong in his 

 friendship, with the heart of a lion, yet the mildness and gentleness of a 

 lamb, he leaves behind a record for probity as a heritage to all who knew 

 him. Let us inscribe this sentiment to his memory : That the leading fea- 

 ture of his life was sympathy ; or, to go deeper still, shall we call it love 

 love of mankind and the dumb creation, that flower which has bloomed 

 perennially ever since the day Adam and Eve left the gates of Paradise." 

 48 



