50 THE HORSE. 



more expensive diversions of the Turf and the Chase ; it must j^et always abound far 

 beyond all other countries, under their existing governments, in citizens of middling, 

 and yet easy circumstances, with means enough to indulge in other sports involving 

 moderate outlay, including the ownership of a good old squirrel gun ; and the luxury 

 of a good horse ; and lience the use of both is as familiar to the great mass of American 

 people, from their childhood, as it is strange to the common people of any other 

 country ; except as to the emplojanent of the horse, in his lowest offices of tield-labour 

 and common drudgery. No southern boy at least, just entering his teens, desires 

 better fun tlian to be allowed to catch and mount any horse in the most distant pas- 

 ture, and ride him home at the top of his speed, without saddle or bridle — and as to 

 the use of fire-arms, it was remarked to the writer during the late war with England, 

 both by General lioss and Admiral Cockburn, that in no country had they ever wit- 

 nessed any fire so deadly as that of the American militia, as lung as they would stand! 

 In the towns, there is not a sober and industrious tradesman, who cannot manage to 

 keep his hackney ; and these considerations sufficiently account for the number of 

 regularly constituted Trotting Clubs of easy access, with courses that serv'e as so 

 many nurseries, where the horse is educated exclusively for the trot, and his highest 

 physical capacities drawn out in that form. These associations are composed, for 

 the most part, of respectable and independent mechanics, and others, especially 

 victuallers, among whom in all times there has existed a sort of esprit de corps, or 

 monomania on this subject, which leads them to spare neither pains nor expense to 

 gain a reputation for owning a crack goer. This sort of emulation so infects the class, 

 as to have given rise to a conunon saying that " a butcher always rides a trotter.'''' 



According to the theory here maintained, the great number of trotters in America 

 that can go as before said, their mile under 3 minutes, and the many that do it under 

 5m. 40s. and even in some cases under 2m. 30s. — as for instance in the case of 

 Ripton and Confidence, whose performances have given so much gratification to 

 sportsmen, is to be explained in the same way that we account for the great number 

 of superb hunters that are admitted to abound in England above all countries, not 

 excepting our own. There, in every county in the Kingdom, there are organized 

 "^un/s," with their whippers-in, and huntsmen, and earth-stoppers, and costly 

 appointments of every kind to accommodate some fifty or an hundred couple of high- 

 bred hounds, whose pedigrees are as well preserved as those of Priam or Long^vaist ; 

 and a wide district of country is reserved and assigned exclusively to each hunt. 

 Fox-hunting is there termed par excellence, a princely amusement, and gentlemen of 

 the most exalted rank and largest fortune, take pride in the office of ^'■Master of the 

 hounds,'''' and assuredly in all the wide field of manly exercises, none can compare 

 with an English fox or steeple-chase, for union of athletic vigour and daring skill, 

 and magnificence of equitation ; unless perhaps it were some splendid charge de cavalrie, 

 like liiose we used to read of, made by the gallant Murat at a critical moment of the 

 battle^ when he was wont in his gorgeous uniform and towering plumes to fall with his 

 cavalry like an avalanche upon his adversary, confounding and crushing him at a 

 blow 1 Truly, it would well be worth a trip across the Atlantic, to see a single "turn 

 out" of an English hunt, all in their fair tops, buckskin smalls, and scarlet coats, 

 mounted on hunters that under Tattersall's hammer would command from one to two 

 hundred guineas ! Imagine such a field with thirty couple of staunch hounds, heads 

 up and sterns down, all in full cry, and well awa}' with their fox ! ! 



-Now, my brave youths, 



Flourish the whip nor spare the gaUingspur; 

 But in the nindncss of delight, forget 

 Your fp.ars. Far o'er the rocky hills we range, 

 And dangerous our course ; but in tlie brave 

 True courage never fails." 



To indicate more strongly the prevalence of this partiality for trotting-horses, and 

 ttmulation to own the fastest goer, and the number and extent of associations and 

 arrangements for this sort of trial and amusement, it need only he mentioned that the 

 "Spirit of the Times," published in New York, contains lists of hundreds of matches 

 and purses, and of thousands on thousands of dollars in small purses, won and lost 

 on these performances on h-otting-courses ! A number of these performances will be 



