THE TROTTING-IIORSE OF AMEIilCA. 283 



is there a better class of gentlemen taking interest in tliG 

 contests of the trotting-turf than in the neighborhood of 

 Boston. Tlie Eastern States have also been a line nursery 

 for trotting-horses. The fine action of the Morgan breed, 

 and their good tempers and sound constitutions, helped a 

 great deal ; but New England was still more largely indebted 

 to the two sons of Messenger, — Hamiltonian and the Bush 

 Messenger: I mean the one that went to !Maine. There 

 were, as I have been informed, several Bush j^.Iessengers. 

 One of them was owned by Philo C. Bush, the race-horse man ; 

 but that was not the one that furnished Maine with good 

 trotting-blood. 



The race between Flora Temple and Lancet at Boston 

 was witnessed by about thirty thousand people, it being at 

 the Agricultural Fair. She won it in three heats, and the 

 best of them was 2m. 36^-s. It was to be regretted that 

 Lancet was unable to make Flora do better on this occasion, 

 as there was such a vast attendance. Just before that, the 

 famous little horse Ethan Allen had added largely to his 

 fame by beating Hiram Drew ; and now a match was talked 

 of between him and Flora Temple. He stood very high 

 in the New-England States, because he was the chief rep- 

 resentative of the Morgan line, and also the fastest stallion 

 that had then been trained. Ethan Allen is a small but 

 ')eautifully-built horse. He is a very rapid goer, and his 

 action and style are as near perfection as can be conceived ; 

 but he always had a trifling objection to weight, and to a 

 long distance. He was one of the early-maturing trotters ; 

 and his first race was with Smith Burr's Rose of Washing- 

 ton, at four years old. He beat the filly ; but I have heard 

 Mr. Burr declare that he afterwards found out that Ethan 

 was a j'-ear older than she was. He was bred in the north 

 part of this State by Joel Holcomb, who owned him, in con- 

 junction with Mr. Boe, for some years. Mr. Boe has alwavs 

 said that he was got by Hill's Black Hawk ; but many have 

 stoutly maintained that his sire was a colt (;alled Flying 



