ST. LAWRENCE. 147 



toward its more infirm manifestations. Many display only its excel- 

 lences — ^these I commend in the highest degree; but I cannot forbear 

 to warn against crossing in those families where the tendency toward 

 defects is its chief manifestation. 



I may add, that from daughters or granddaughters of Messenger, 

 Duroc produced Garland the dam of Post Boy, Cock of the Rock, 

 Messenger Duroc, the first American Star — as is most probable, 

 American Eclij^se, Blucher, Wellington, Shakespeare, besides many 

 others that enter into the pedigree of our trotting families. 



I may also add, that the Duroc- Messenger blood possessed this 

 other valuable quality of acting in harmony with almost any other 

 trotting elements. It had no alloy or base metal that stood in the way 

 of the readiest and most harmonious fusion with the best bloods of 

 our trotting families. The Bellfounder in union vn.ih the Messenger 

 blood was not so certain an element. While it has shown its best 

 results on the dam's side of the trotter, in its earliest stages it has 

 operated best in connection with the Duroc blood when the latter was 

 in the composition of the dam. As the interbreeding of these families 

 advances, these crosses will become so remote in their unions that the 

 difference in this respect will diminish, but, as before, the preference 

 for the blood of the Messenger on the side of the sire will still be 

 manifest, and the more remote and perfectly interwoven the Duroc 

 element is found, will it also be seen to exhibit its greatest excellences. 

 Moreover, like many other of our primitive sources of trotting excel- 

 lence, its best qualities will continue to appear further along as we 

 advance in crossing it with our roadster elements; when its original 

 Diomed or Arab traits are all eliminated, and nothing but trotting 

 quality is left, it will be found to show its most valuable character as a 

 factor in the breeding of trotters. Such has been the case with the 

 blood of Messenger and of Bellfounder — and a similar law prevails in 

 relation to many others. 



ST. LAWRENCE. 



This was a horse of great merit, and a considerable share of good 

 blood, but it is impossible at this day to determine exactly what he 

 was in matter of blood composition. He was bred in Canada — most 

 likely in that part near Montreal, but this is by no means certain. He 

 was brought from Montreal, or in the vicinity thereof, by Mr. W. 



