432 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



taken from Japan to Spain, and thence 

 imported into England. In Tudor days 

 there were small Spaniels in this country, 

 and the English Toy Spaniels of to-day, 

 especially the Blenheim variety, are also 

 said by some to be descended from sporting 

 Spaniels which belonged to Queen Mary 

 about the year 1555, and might have been 

 brought over from Germany. Mary kept 

 a pack of Spaniels for hunting purposes. 



The writer of an article on Japan in The 

 Westminster Review for April, 1860, ob- 

 serves : " There is a species of Japanese 

 Spaniel which is probably identical with 

 the King Charles breed. Our information 

 on this point is certainly rather scanty. 

 We find firstly in the narrative of the 

 United States expedition the note : 



" The fact that dogs are always part 

 of a Royal Japanese present suggested 

 to the Commodore the thought that possibly 

 one species of Spaniel now in England may 

 be traced to a Japanese origin. 



" In 1613, when Captain Saris returned 

 from Japan, he carried to the king a letter 

 from the Emperor with presents in return 

 for those which had been sent him by his 

 Majesty of England. Dogs probably formed 

 part of the gifts, and thus may have been 

 introduced into the kingdom the Japanese 

 breed. At any rate, there is a 'species of 

 Spaniel in England which it is hard to dis- 

 tinguish from the Japanese dog. Secondly, 

 Mr. Oliphant says the dog peculiar to Japan 

 which is supposed to be the origin of King 

 Charles Spaniel does indeed bear a con- 

 siderable resemblance to that breed ; the 

 ears are not so long and silky, and the nose 

 is more of a pug, but the size, shape, and 

 colour of the body are almost identical. 



" The appearance of the Toy Spaniel in 

 England in 1613 tallies with the return of 

 Captain Saris, and the scarcity of the breed 

 now is satisfactorily accounted for by their 

 foreign origin and imperfect acclimatisation 

 in this country." 



It has also been said that Catharine of 

 Braganza, the wife of Charles II., might, 

 as a Portuguese princess, have brought 

 Toy Spaniels over with her. Tangier was 

 part of her dowry, and both the Dutch and 



Portuguese had a great deal of intercourse 

 with the Japanese. 



There is another theory advanced, and 

 with some reason, that the English Toy 

 Spaniel of the present day derived its 

 origin from the Cocker Spaniel, as these 

 larger dogs have the same colours and 

 markings, black and tan, tricolour, and red 

 and white. The Cocker also occasionally 

 has the spot on the forehead which is a 

 characteristic of the Blenheim. 



Be the origin of the King Charles Spaniel, 

 and its advent in this country, what it 

 may, King Charles II. so much indulged 

 and loved these little friends that they 

 followed him hither and thither as they 

 pleased, and seem to have been seldom sepa- 

 rated from him. By him they were loved 

 and cherished, and brought into great 

 popularity ; in his company they adorn 

 canvas and ancient tapestries, and are 

 reputed to have been allowed free access 

 at all times to Whitehall, Hampton Court, 

 and other royal palaces. 



There is no lack of evidence to show that 

 Charles II. was devoted to his dogs. In 

 Pepys' Diary is recorded, on May 25th, 

 1660 : " I went, and Mr. Mansell, and one 

 of the King's footmen, and a dog that the 

 King loved, in a boat by ourselves, and so 

 got on shore when the King did." 



His Majesty had also on occasion the 

 misfortune to lose his dogs, for the following 

 two advertisements appeared in Mercurius 

 Publicus directly after the Restoration. 

 The first was no doubt drawn up by the 

 John Ellis who is mentioned in it. The 

 second may have been written by the King 

 himself. 



" A smooth Black Dog, less than a Grey- 

 hound with white under his breast, belonging 

 to the King's Majesty, was taken from White- 

 hall, the eighteenth day of this instant June 

 or thereabout. If any one can give notice to 

 John Ellis, one of his Majesties Servants, or to 

 his Majesties Back-Stayrs shall be well re- 

 warded for their labour. June 21-29, 1660." 



" We must call upon you again for a Black 

 Dog, between a Greyhound and a Spaniel, 

 no white about him, only a streak on his breast, 

 and his Tayl a little bobbed. It is His Majes- 



