122 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



outbreak of the war of the Revolution, and in that 

 contest abided by the fortunes of the British flag 

 Neither the experiences nor the results of the war had 

 effect to eradicate their regard for their ancestral 

 home, a feeling to which, as will appear in the record, 

 they bore testimony in a very practical way. 



In 1820 General Coffin presented the society with a 

 stallion of the breed called in England, the "light 

 cart" or "Suffolk Punch" breed. It was a superior 

 animal in appearance as well as in strength, and was 

 named Columbus. The trustees had a portrait of the 

 animal painted, and it was engraved for publication in 

 the Journal. In 1823 Admiral Coffin presented the 

 society with a short-horn bull of English breeding, and 

 in the following year, a bull and heifer of the Hereford 

 breed and also a short horn-heifer, with due certifi- 

 cates of pedigree. The short-horn bull was named 

 "Admiral," and was successively placed in different 

 counties of the State, usually in charge of some officer 

 or member of one of the county agricultural societies. 

 This was conformable to the general practice of the 

 society, both prior and subsequently. In 1825 Ad- 

 miral Coffin gave the society a stallion and mare of 

 the breed known as the Yorkshire Cleveland Bays, 

 much favored in England as road horses. In 1827 

 General Coffin bestowed the gift of four rams and 

 three ewes of the Devonshire Nott breed. One pair 

 of these was sent to the Worcester county society, and 

 one pair to the Hampshire county society. 



These various donations became the occasion of a 

 very interesting episode in the proceedings at the 

 Brighton cattle show in 1827, in the course of an 

 address made by the president of the society at that 

 time, Hon. John Lowell, preliminary to announcing 

 the premiums. General Coffin was present, as a guest 



