120 ORIGINAL SOURCES OF TROTTING BLOOD. 



The Morse horse, sire of Norman, the sire of Blackwood and 

 Swigert., was descended on the dam's side from two different sons of 

 JMesseng-er. 



Rhode Island, the sire of Gov. Sprague, derived all the known trot- 

 ting- blood he possessed from his descent from Romp, a daughter of 

 Messeno^er. 



The family kno^vn as Royal Georges and Panics descended from 

 Ogden's Messenger, and perhaps have a cross from Hambletonian, son 

 of Messenger. 



Mambrino Chief and his family descended from Mambrino and 

 JMesseno-er Duroc, whose dam was a dauo-hter of Messeng-er. 



The American Star family came from two and perhaps three daugh- 

 ters of Messenger. 



The great Hambletonian, of whom I shall treat fully in the next 

 chapter, was a son of Abdallah, and an in-bred Messenger. 



The Bashaw and Clay families come from a branch of the descend- 

 ants of imported Grand Bashaw, that extended backward t(D a 

 daughter of Messenger; of this branch of our trotting families I shall 

 furtlier treat in a chapter devoted to them. 



The great trotting and pacing family of Cadmus descend from 

 American Eclipse, whose dam was Miller's Damsel, the celebrated 

 daughter of Messenger. 



The Morrils, Knoxes and Ethan Allen, the best of the trotters of 

 Morgan descent, have crosses of Messenger blood. 



Small indeed is the catalogue of American trotters or trotting fami- 

 lies, if there be any such, that do not partake of the blood and display 

 the characteristics of the descendants of Messenger. 



I have before observed that the Messengers are of an even conforma- 

 tion, each part seemingly closely adapted to all the others, and that 

 they trot with an even and steady gait, less violent and demonstrative 

 of great trotting action than many others. Their gait is rarely a 

 faulty one. They do not at first dis2:)lay as great readiness or natural 

 aptness for the trotting gait as many others, and are not so far noted 

 as natural trotters as to excel at that gait when running loose, hence 

 the term field-trotters rarely applies to the Messenger when his natural 

 trottino- qualitv is not modified bv other crosses. But however little 

 they may have for display, the extent to which they can perform when 

 called upon, and the capacity they show for improvement, and, the 

 great age to which they continue to improve, constitute the great 

 characteristics of the family. At first we are often prompted to say 



