THE HORSE. 5] 



selected, enough to chow that the excellence which is conceded to American ti otters, 

 "s not founded on a solitary achievement or very rare casi.'s, nor to be ascribed to the 

 pos'^ession of any distinct and peculiar breed of horses ; but is the natural and common 

 fruit of that union of blood and bone, which forms proverbially the desideratum in a 

 good hunter, with the superaddition of skilful training, muck practice, and artful 

 jockeying for the trotting course. Who can doubt that if Hiram Woodruff were to 

 go to England, having the run of their hunting-stables, he might select nags enough 

 which could soon be made under his training and consummate jockcyship, to go along 

 with Edwin Forrest and Lady Suffolk, Ripton, Rattler, Confidence, and the Dutch- 

 man'? On this point the following may be aptly extracted from the highest authority 

 — our Bell's Life in London — To wit : Porter's t>pirit of the Times. 



"Nimrod, in 'admitting the superiority of our Trotting-Horses to the 'English,' 

 claims that the English ' approach very near to the Americans,' even in this breed 

 of cattle. Possibly the characteristic national vanity would not allow him to make 

 a farther concession. But there is no comparison whatever, between the Trotting- 

 Horses of the two countries. Mr. Wheelan, who took Rattler to England last season, 

 and doubly distanced with ease every horse that ventured to start against him, as the 

 record shows, informs us that there are twenty or more roadsters in common use in 

 this city, that could compete successfully with the fastest trotters on the English 

 Turf. They neither understand the art of training, driving or riding, there. For 

 example : some few years since, Alexander was purchased by Messrs. C. & B. of this 

 city, for a friend or acquaintance, in England. Alexander was a well-known roadster 

 here, and was purchased to order, at a low rate. The horse was sent out and trials 

 made of him ; but so unsuccessful were they, that the English importers considered 

 him an imposition. Thus the matter stood for a year or more. When Wheelan 

 arrived in England, he recognised the horse, and learned the particulars of his 

 purchase and subsequent trials there. By his advice the horse was nominated in a 

 Stake at Manchester (we believe) with four or live of the best trotters in England, 

 he (Wheelan) engaging to train and ride him. When the horses came upon the 

 ground, the odds were 4 and 5 to 1 against Alexander, who won by nearly a quarter 

 of a mile! Wheelan says he took the track at starting, and widened the gap at his 

 ease — that near the finish, being surprised that no horse was anywhere near him, as 

 his own had not yet made a stroke, he got frightened, thinking some one might out- 

 brush him — that he put Alexander up to his work, and finally won by an immense 

 way, no horse, literally, getting to the head of the quarter stretch, as he came out at 

 the winning stand ! The importers of Alexander, at any rate, were so surprised and 

 delighted at his performance, that they presented Wheelan with a magnificent gold 

 timing-watch, and other valuable presents, and sent Messrs. C. & B. a superl) service 

 of plate, which may be seen at any time at their establishment in INlaidcn Lane." 



Here it is clearly shown that the comparative speed of American horses is to he 

 attributed not to breed, but to management, on which we the rather insist, as it is to 

 be desired that American agriculturists and all breeders and trainers of horses, should 

 understand and practise upon some fixed and rational principles, rather than rely for 

 success on some imaginary strain of horses, of no certain origin or established 

 blood. After all, we have accounts of performances in trotting, by English horses, 

 that may be considered as extraordinary as those of our own, when allowance is 

 made for the greater value placed, and the more attention and skill bestowed, upon 

 trotters in this country than in that. 



The celebrated English trotter Archer, descended from old Shields, a remarkable 

 strong horse and master of fifteen stone (two hundred and ten pounds), trotted his 

 sixteen miles in a very severe frost in less than fifty-five minutes. In 17!)1, a brown 

 mare, trotted in Engrland on the Essex road, sixteen miles in fifty-eight minutes and 

 some seconds, being then 18 years old — and while we are writinn^ we lenrn from an 

 official report that Lady Hampton on the 2d of May, 18 !0, in England, trotted seven- 

 teen miles in 58m. 37s. in harness. She was driven by Burke, of great English 

 trotting celebrity. On the 13th of October, 1799, a trotting mntch was decided over 

 Sunbury Common between Mr. Dixon's brown gelding and Mr. Bishop's grey 

 gelding, carrying twelve stone (one hundred and sixty-eight pounds) each, which 



