146 THE OEANGE COUNTY 



thoroughbreds have eminent trotters among their descend- 

 ants, it may be safe to say that all of them together would 

 not have produced a family of trotters without a cross from 

 Messenger; and equally safe to assert that the fame of Messen- 

 ger would have been no less if any one of the others had 

 never been foaled. The imported Arabian, Grand Bashaw, 

 had the luck to have his name perpetuated in a family of good 

 trotters that originated in Buck's County, Pa., but the trot- 

 ting quality all came from Messenger, who stood in that 

 county two years. The first of the Bashaws that manifested 

 any trotting quality was Young Bashaw, a son of the Arabian; 

 and he was the only one of the whole get that was thus en- 

 dowed. The explanation is found in the fact that Young 

 Bashaw's dam was a granddaughter of Messenger. 



Of American horses not descended from Messenger that 

 have contributed to establish the reputation of our trotters, the 

 number is not large nor the influence very considerable. 

 Sir Henry, the famous competitor of American Eclipse, and 

 Duroc, both thoroughbreds, and both descended from im- 

 ported Diomed, seem to have transmitted some trotting 

 quality to their descendants, but it is very doubtful that 

 either, or both, would have established a family of trotters. 

 Seeley's American Star, quite famous as the sire of modern 

 trotters, combines the blood of both, being sired by Ameri- 

 can Star, a son of Duroc, and out of Sally Slouch by Sir 

 Henry, but his grand-dam was by Messenger. American 

 Eclipse, the progenitor of many good trotters, had also the 

 blood of Duroc, his sire; but as his dam, Miller's Damsel, was 

 by Messenger, the Duroc part of the pedigree is seldom 

 thought of. Americus, who beat Lady Suffolk on the Hunting 

 Park Course in a five-mile match to wagons in the remark- 

 able time of 13m. 54s. and 13m. 58 l-2s., was by Bed Jacket, 

 a son of Duroc, and not known to have inherited his trotting 

 from any other source. 



Canada has added something to our trotting stock. 

 In trotting they are usually short, quick steppers with 

 very high knee action, and are spirited, trappy harness 

 horses, and long-lived. These horses are often said to be de- 

 generated from their Norman ancestry through the coldness 

 of the climate, the long winters and scanty fare. There have 

 been numerous importations from France to this country of 

 the choicest specimens of Norman horses, and an impartial 

 comparison shows that the Canadian has gained in spirit and 

 speed more than enough to compensate for all he has lost 

 in size, 



