STAR CROSS. J345 



ever saw. For the present I shall go no further than to say that 

 Edward Everett measures 11 inches in his front cannon-bone, 19|- 

 inches in his forearm, 38 inches from hip to hock, and 22^ inches in 

 his leno-th of thio-h. Joe Elliott is 11 inches in front cannon, 20 

 inches in forearm, 39 inches from hip to hock, and 23 inches in his 

 thig'h. His great stride is not due to his length of limb or propelling 

 leverage, but to the sheer and marvelous muscular power that drives it, 

 which, like a charge of dynamite, has no regard to the length of 

 barrel or quality of gun from which it is fired, but has a power in 

 itself that can not be measured or confined. 



THE STAE-HAMBLETONIAlSrS. 



Turning here for awhile from the consideration of this family, I 

 ■direct attention to an examination of the Star cross — a term that has 

 been linked with the name and fame of Hambletonian, and which 

 furnishes us with a subject of study worthy the employment of our 

 best hovirs. 



So much has been said and written about this famed union of 

 bloods — so much laudation has been expended upon it — ^that it might 

 be supposed little need bo said, or could be written, that would add 

 to its lustre, or solve its mysterious greatness. The real truth, how- 

 •ever, seems to be, that of all that has been said or written, no real 

 light has been shed upon the subject; no one has told us wherein the 

 greatness of the cross consists; why it has occurred that the blood of 

 Hambletonian crossed upon mares by American Star has resulted in 

 such great celebrities on the trotting turf; nor have any of them, so 

 far as I can discover, even told us what those great and marvelous 

 qualities of the Star blood consisted of, or from what especial sources 

 they were derived. 



One of the most noted authors of our day, in a recent periodical, 

 for which I have a kindly regard, has given us a highly eulogistic 

 article on certain members of this family, in which he has told us, 

 among other things, that Dexter possesses that indomitable, invincible 

 spirit which distinguished English Eclipse; that in Dexter there are 

 at least three crosses of Diomed, grandson of King Herod, fortified 

 bv the blood of his best son Hiffhflver; and we are asked if we are 

 to believe that all this concentrated King Herod blood in the sire of 

 Dexter's dam was neutralized by one cross of Messenger in Star's 

 grandam. But the vagueness of the conundrum is seen in the absence 

 of all light as to the trotting qualities of this all-powerful King 

 Herod and Highflyer blood. 



