354 ' THE ROYAL GEORGES. 



His dam was a mare that doubtless brouo-ht a reinforcement of the 

 trotting blood, and whose history excites the belief that she had even 

 as good a share of true Sampson trotting blood as the horse Tippoo, 

 or his son Warrior. It is certain that in Royal George the strength 

 and quality of the trotting impulse M'as greatly augmented. 



The dam of Royal George was a dark bay mare, brought from 

 Middlebviry, Vt., by a Mr. Billington, and sold to Mr. Barnes, and 

 was said to be by a horse called the " Bristol Horse." The horse well 

 known in Vermont as " Bristol Horse " and " Bristol Grey," was 

 the Harris Hambletonian, hence foundation has been laid for the sup- 

 position, and with many the belief, that the dam of Royal George 

 was a daughter of Harris' Hambletonian, the great trotting sire of 

 Vermont. It is apparent that we have nothing more than certain 

 general facts to deal with, and these do not furnish clear or j^ositive 

 or really any absolute proof upon which we can found anything more 

 than a supposition. If in the blood traits of the families descending 

 from this union, we find traits and qualities that belonged to the Harris 

 Hambletonian and the Ogden Messenger families, then indeed are 

 we furnished with powerful corroboration of the evidences already 

 presented in the vague and dim thread of history that follows the 

 family. 



It is clear, as before stated, that in Royal George the trot- 

 ting quality of the family was greatly advanced, and this is taken as 

 a proof that the dam was a mare of Messenger blood, and from the 

 coincident names, a daughter of Harris' Hambletonian. But upon 

 this it must be remarked, that the gait of the Royal Geoi-ges is not 

 the gait of those descended from Harris' Hambletonian, and the diifer- 

 ence is a clearly marked one. The trotters of the Harris Hamble- 

 tonian type pick up their hind feet squarely, and with a folding of the 

 members — all the muscles seemingly being called into action with 

 vigor and energy — but in close compass. The hind feet are advanced 

 squarely under the side — not reaching far forward or extending far 

 backward. They are sent forward more by their vigor of action than 

 the apparent long reach of the rear extremities. 



The very opposite gait characterizes the Royal Georges. They 

 do not seem to trail their hocks or hind feet out far behind them, 'but 

 they do swing them around to the front, outside of, and in advance 

 of the fore feet, with a very long forward reach. They seem to grab 

 for a good deal of ground witli their rear propellers. The action of 

 the Royal Georges is in some degree similar to that of those 



