468 THE HORSE. 



Merry Pintle — Said to be foaled in 1752. By Old England, dam by 

 Old Merry Pintle — Skipjack — Hackwood. 



What is the true state of the case in regard to this horse, if 

 there ever were such a horse, is not now discoverable ; but the whole 

 of this pedigree is a falsehood. 



Old England was foaled in 1741. There is no mention of any 

 such horse as Merry Pintle, either old or young. Skipjack, who 

 is said to be the sire of Old England's grand dam, was running in 

 1762, nineteen years later than the birth of his great grandson, and 

 of two Hackwoods represented as the same mare's great grand- 

 sire, one died in 1781, the other in 1782; yet we are gravely told 

 by Edgar, that the great great great grandson of one or the other 

 of them was imported into America near thirty years before the 

 birth of either of them. H. W. H. 



Merry Tom — Said to be foaled about 1758. Regulus, dam by Locust, 

 gr. dam Flying Childers, &c. &c. He ran well in England and 

 Scotland before his exportation. 



He is not to be found in the Stud Book. Regulus got two 

 colts out of Locusta by Locust, a chestnut, Cheshire Dick, in 1760, 

 and a colt without name or color given in 1763, but Locusta's dam 

 was Pamela by Orion. Merry Tom is mythical. H. W. H. 



Messenger — Foaled in 1778. By Mambrino, dam by Turf, g. d. sis- 

 ter to Figurante by Regulus, Starling, Fox, Gipsey by Bay Bolton, 

 Newcastle Turk, Taffolet Barb, Plaice's White Turk, Natural 

 Barb mare. His dam was foaled in 1774. 



This was one of the most successful stallions ever brought into 

 America. He was grandsire in the maternal line to American 

 Eclipse, and beside giving birth to a long strain of noble racers, 

 has been the most famous progenitor of half-bred stock in the 

 country. 



His dam is only mentioned in Weatherby's Stud Book, being 

 foaled in 1774, as the dam of Messenger, with no farther notice of 

 her stock. 



There seems to be some error, however, in the date of his birth 

 or of that of his death, or, if in neither, then in his age. Edgar 

 states, Stud Book, p. 47, that he was foaled in 1788, and died in 

 1808, aged 28 years — the interval being, however, only 20 years 

 Mr. Hall's MS. note to Messenger's dam, by Turf, out of Regulus 

 mare, runs thus — 



" Messenger died aged 26, the property of C. W. Van Ranst 



