162 HISTORY OF THE SHORT-HORNS. 



" I was induced to send the order for the cattle (in the fall of 

 1816), by seeing an account of Charles Ceiling's great sale in 1810. 

 At this sale enormous prices were paid ; one thousand guineas for 

 the bull Comet. This induced me to think there was a value un- 

 known to us in these cattle, and as I then had the control of means, 

 determined to procure some of this breed. For some years previous 

 I was in the regular receipt of English publications on agricultural 

 improvements, and improvements in the various descriptions of stock. 

 From the reported surveys of counties, I was pretty well posted as to 

 the localities of the most esteemed breeds of cattle. My mind was 

 made up, fixing on the Short-horns as most suitable for us. I had 

 frequent conversations on this matter with my friend and neighbor, 

 Capt. William Smith, then an eminent breeder of cattle. He was 

 thoroughly impressed in favor of the old Long-horn breed. To 

 gratify him, and to please some old South Branch feeders, I ordered 

 a pair of Long-horns ; and was more willing to do so from the fact, 

 that this was the breed selected by the distinguished Mr. Bakewell 

 for his experimental, yet most successful improvements. I forwarded 

 to the house of Buchanan, Smith & Co., of Liverpool, $1,500 to make the 

 purchase, expecting to get three pair only, with instructions to pro- 

 cure a competent judge and suitable agent, to go into the cattle 

 district and make the selection, the animals not to be over two years 

 old, and no restriction as to price. At the time, the Holderness breed 

 was in highest repute for milkers. I directed that the agent should 

 be sent to Yorkshire to procure a pair of that breed, then to the river 

 Tees, in Durham county, for a pair of Short-horn Durhams, then to 

 the county of Westmoreland for a pair of the Long-horns, etc. 



" The agent sent from Liverpool, J. C. Etches, a celebrated butcher 

 of that place, went as directed, and purchased six pair instead of 

 three. It being soon after the war, all kinds of produce had much 

 cheapened, and the stock sold lower than was expected. 



"After the cattle were shipped from Liverpool, on the vessel Mo- 

 hawk, bound to Baltimore, Md., where the cattle afterwards landed, 

 I sold one-third interest in them to Capt. William Smith, and another 

 third to Dr. Tegarden, of Kentucky." 



It appears that there were twelve animals in all purchased and 

 shipped eight Short-horns, four bulls and four heifers; and four 

 Long-horns, two bulls and two heifers. No pedigrees came with the 

 cattle, as it was five years previous to the publication of the first 

 volume of the English Short-horn Herd Book. There was simply an 



