ROMANCE OF THE DUKES AND DUCHESSES 95 



by Mr. BATES had been the 3d Duke of York, 

 which had been sold privately before the closing- 

 out auction was held. LORD DUCIE sent his agent 

 to buy him, with instructions to send him to the 

 butcher, and the bull was actually slaughtered at 

 Tortworth. His Lordship supposed that this left 

 him in possession of the only bull of the line then 

 living; but upon being told that Mr. TANQUERAY, a 

 well-known breeder of that period, had recently 

 come into the ownership of the 5th Duke of York, 



he is credited with testily exclaiming, "D that 



bull; I had lost sight of him!" However in the 

 language of "BOBBY" BURNS, "the best laid schemes 

 o' mice and men gang aft agley." The old Earl 

 died and his herd was dispersed in 1853, and up- 

 on that occasion Great Britain and America clashed 

 for the first time for the possession of the Duchess 

 blood. BECAR and Gol. MORRIS, who had secured 

 three of the Oxford females at Kirklevington's 

 dispersion, were on hand now to contest for 

 Duchesses, and in this were reinforced by JONATHAN 

 THORNE, also of New York City, GEORGE VAIL of 

 Troy, and Gen. GADWALLADER of Philadelphia. Their 

 English competitors were TANQUERAY, Gol. GUNTER, 

 LORD FEVERSHAM and the EARL OF BURLINGTON. 

 The eight Duchesses fetched an average of 401 



