72 THE MORGAN HORSE 



I know that my father always, while he lived, called him a Dutch 

 horse. JUSTIN MORGAN. 



Stockbridge, Vermont, March I, 1842." 



In the next number of the "Cultivator", July, 1842, under the 

 head of " Condensed Correspondence and Enquiries", is the fol- 

 lowing : 



"After our last paper went to press, containing the statement of 

 Justin Morgan, Esq., of Stockbridge, Vermont, that his father brought 

 the original Morgan horse from Springfield, Massachusetts, we received 

 a communication from Mr. John Morgan of Lima, in this State, confirm- 

 ing the statement of Justin Morgan, that the sire of the celebrated Mor- 

 gan horses of Vermont came from Massachusetts, instead of from 

 Canada, as has heretofore been supposed. Mr. John Morgan informs 

 us that he resided in Springfield, Massachusetts, near Mr. Justin Mor- 

 gan, Sr., previous to his removal to Vermont, and that the two-year- 

 old stud which he took with him to Vermont, as stated in our last paper 

 by Mr. J. Morgan, Jr., was sired by a horse owned by Selah Norton 

 of East Hartford, Connecticut, called the True Briton or Beautiful Bay : 

 ' He was kept at Springfield one season by the said Justin Morgan, and 

 two years after, I kept him two seasons. This horse was said to be 

 raised by Gen. DeLancey, commander of the refugee troops on 

 Long Island, and ridden by him in the Revolution. It was said that 

 one Smith stole the horse from the General at King's Bridge, while 

 the General was in the tavern ran him across the bridge and took 

 him to the American army near White Plains, and sold him to Joseph 

 Ward of Hartford, Connnecticut, for three hundred dollars. It was also 

 said at that time that he was sired by the noted imported horse called 

 the Traveler, said to be kept in New Jersey. Ward was a merchant, 

 and kept the horse three or four years for a saddle and carriage horse, 

 and traded him off to Norton, and Norton kept him for mares while 

 he lived. The description of the Morgan breed given by Mr. G. 

 Barnard answers well to the description of the stock of True Briton. 

 His stock was all bright bays, some inclining to sorrel. I have always 

 understood that Morgan kept the colt for a stud at Randolph, and 

 was very celebrated for his stock'." 



Hon. J. S. Skinner, long editor of the "Turf Register", and the 

 highest authority of his day on pedigrees of highly bred horses, 

 wrote to Porter of the New York "Spirit of The Times", under date, 

 Washington, August 22, 1842, a letter that was published soon after 

 its date in the " Spirit of the Times", and from which we quote : 



"Dear P. ; The liberal and gentleman-like spirit and the intelli- 

 gence with which your correspondent 'G. B.' [George Barnard of 



