THE HORSE OF AMERICA. 



Here then, we have the answer to the whole inquiry reduced 

 to its simplest form. The groom who coupled the mare with 

 Blaze from which came Sampson says the mare was called a Hip 

 mare, hut that her pedigree was really unknown. For the intel- 

 ligence and honesty of this groom Mr. Lawrence does not hesi- 

 tate to vouch, and he adds the common belief of all the York- 

 shire sportsmen of that day, who knew the mare, that she was of 

 unknown breeding. This evidence is further supplemented by 

 the family characteristics of the stock descended from Sampson, 

 to say nothing of the great lack of "blood" in the appearance of 

 Sampson himself. As against this we have the dry, unsupported 

 assertion of Mr. Weatherby, forty years after the event, and prob- 

 ably copied from an advertisement of the horse. In view of all 

 this we must tabulate the pedigree of Sampson as follows: 



Sampson. , 

 (1745). 



Blaze.. 



Called a Hip Mare 

 (Unknown), 



Confederate Fi,, y 



ENGINEER, son of Sampson, was a brown horse, foaled 1755, and 

 was out of Miner's dam, by Young Greyhound; grandam by Cur- 

 wen's Bay Barb, and the next dam unknown. This is all the 

 pedigree that has ever been even claimed for this horse, and it 

 falls far short of the rank of thoroughbred. That the eye may 

 take it all in at a glance we will here put it into tabular form. 

 There is a discrepancy of one year between Weatherby and Pick 

 in the age of the horse, and we find Pick is right in giving his 

 date as 1755. 



Guilders. 

 Confederate Filly. 



Unknown. 



Notwithstanding the absence of Eastern blood, Engineer was a 

 race horse of above average ability, although not so good as an- 

 other son of Sampson called Bay Malton. A few of his sons 

 aside from Mambrino ran respectably, and his daughters were, at 

 one time, highly prized as brood mares. 



