176 " MULES. 



and serviceable ; and from stout mares attained con- 

 si'derable size. 



" General Washington bred a favourite Jack called 

 Compound, from the cross of Spanish and Maltese. 

 The Knight upon the imported Spanish Jennet. This 

 Jack was a very superior animal ; very long bodied, 

 well set, with all the qualities of the Knight, and the 

 weight of the Spanish. He was sire of some of the 

 finest mules at Mount Vernon, and died from accident. 

 The General bred mules from his best coach mares, 

 and found the value of the mule to bear a just propor- 

 tion to the value of the dam. Four mules sold at the 

 sale of his effects, for upwards of ^800 : and two 

 more pairs at upwards of 8400 each pair ; one pair 

 of these mules were nearly sixteen hands high. The 

 only Jacks I know of at present, of the genuine Mount 

 Vernon stock, are, one sold by me to Judge Johnson, 

 of South Carolina, for five hundred dollars, at two 

 years old; one given by me to WilHam Fitzhugh, 

 Esq. of Ravensworth, and one which I believe is pos- 

 sessed by my uncle, Geore Calvert, Esq. of Rivers- 

 dale. 



" The Jack purchased by Judge Johnson, I have 

 understood, has a very high reputation in the South. 



"Upon losing my groom (Peter) who was the first 

 and last groom to the Mount Vernon Jacks, I parted 

 with my stock. 



" There are many Jacks that have come into the 

 country of late years, but of their value and proper- 

 ties I am unable to speak, though I rather presume they 

 are generally small, and only fitted to get mules for 

 the cotton cultivation in the light lands of the South. 

 Some very fine mules are raised about Hagerstown, 

 Maryland, from Jacks of the old breed ; they are 

 bred from stout wagon mares. 



