CHAPTER XX. 

 MESSENGER'S DESCENDANTS. 



History of Abdallah Characteristics of his dam, Amazonia Speculations as to 

 her blood Description of Abdallah Alraack, prggenitor of the Champion 

 line Mambrino Paymaster, sire of Mambrino Chief History and pedigree 

 Mambrino Messenger Harris' Hambletonian Judson's Hambletonian 

 Andrus' Hambletonian, sire of the famous Princess, Happy Medium's dam. 



ABDALLAH. This grandson of Messenger has been popularly 

 and justly designated as the "king of trotting sires of his genera- 

 tion." He was bred by John Tredwell, of Queens County, Long 

 Island, and was foaled 1823. His sire was Mambrino, son of 

 Messenger, and his dam was Amazonia, one of the most distin- 

 guished trotters of her day. Concerning the breeding and origin 

 of Amazonia there has been great diversity of opinion among 

 horsemen and a great amount of controversy among writers. 

 It is not my purpose to enter into a discussion of the questions 

 raised on this point, but I would hardly be doing justice to his- 

 iory to pass it over unnoticed. I will, therefore, try to give a 

 brief synopsis of the history and the arguments urged, and refer 

 the reader to the first and second volumes of Wallace's Monthly 

 for a more extended consideration of the questions raised. 



The first representation of her pedigree was that she was a 

 daughter of imported Messenger, and the next was that she was 

 by a son of Messenger. On the first claim, that she was by Mes- 

 senger, no argument was possible, one way or the other, on 

 account of dates; but against the second claim, that she was by 

 .a son of Messenger, the arguments were numerous and vehement. 

 All these arguments were based wholly upon her coarse external 

 conformation and the absence of all resemblance to the Messen- 

 ger family. Among the supporters of this view were many of 

 the most intelligent and trustworthy horsemen of the whole 

 country. Indeed, the preponderance of intelligence as well as 

 numbers seemed to be on that side. That she had "coarse, 

 ragged hips," that she had a "rat tail," that she "had hair 



