128 ORTGITiTAL SOURCES OF TROTTING BLOOD. 



Mr. Boutwell stated that he received that card in 1823 when he 

 took charge of the horse, and that he understood these cards were 

 printed in Ensfland by order of Mr. Boott, and sent here, with the 

 dates and prices of service to be filled out from yeai- to year a& 

 occasion might require. 



The points that have been selected in this account as particularly 

 assailable, are the performances of Velocity and her pedigree. To 

 this the reply is obvious, that Mr. Boott was not the breeder and took 

 the horse with the account furnished him in the district where he had 

 been bred and kept, and if these people were strictly infallible and 

 perfectly accurate on all matters that pertained to the descent and 

 performances of horseflesh, they showed no traits of kinship to their 

 American cousins. Besides, the accuracy of the pedigree can only be 

 impeached by the age of the horses — Haphazard and Velocity — it 

 being alleged that the first foal of Haphazard was not dropped until 

 after 1806, the date of this performance. If the identity of these 

 animals is shown or conceded, then this only shows that this mare 

 Velocity was not the daughter of Haphazard, or that a mistake has been 

 made in the date of her alleged performance, but no way touches the 

 fact of her being the dam of imported Bellfounder. As to the per- 

 formance of Velocity on the Norwich road it is reasonable to grant the 

 same allowance for it that must be made for many alleged perform- 

 ances in this country where the record is silent. 



Some very notable examples have occurred at an early hour in the 

 morning, or on a Sunday or some other occasion in the presence of 

 several reliable gentlemen, that have been questioned quite as severe- 

 ly as the performance above referred to. But after all, the only 

 error may be in the date of her alleged performance. There are 

 many persons now living who well remember Bellfounder and bear 

 testimony to his natural trotting action, such as can scarcely be 

 applied to any horse of our own day, because not precisely like it. 

 It is also evident that such was the reputation of the horse in his own 

 day, and that such repixtation extended from Boston to New York, 

 and was strongly impressed on the minds and memories of many per- 

 sons of that day in these respective localities. Mr. Gould further 

 says : 



In my conversation with William Boutwell, I asked him if he ever saw the 

 old lior^ trot at his speed. In reply, he stated that he was never saddled but 

 once to his knowledge, it being the custom to lead him by the side of a run- 

 ning horse in his exercise, or walk him as occasion required. On this occasion, 

 however, a gentleman came to Charlestown from New York, especially to see 



