3t 



Eafh man rode his adversary's liorse; the one that came in last took the 

 jacket. 



On tlif; 2d Thursday in March, 1747, races were lield in the Ponds' 

 ol<l field, near Dorchester, for the first time, which were continued for a 

 few yoai's. 



Up to this time, not many full hlood horses had been imported into 

 tlie Province ; but soon after, some well-hied liorses and mai'es were 

 brought from En2;!and. Many planters raised their own horses, and 

 sold annually one or more colts, or fillies; South Carolina, as well as 

 Virginia and North Carolina, producing some fine animals. 



liefore the year 1754, the horses most regarded in S<nilh Ca!olina,-for 

 general nse, the draft or the saddle, were known as the Chickasaw breed. 



This was a stock of horses originally introduced into Florida, by the 

 early Spanish discoverers. They were in gener.'d well-foiined, active and 

 easily kept, but small. The mares seldcmi exceeded thirteen hands and 

 a lialf; but being remarkable for their muscular development and great 

 endurance, when crossed with the imported thorough-bred.s, produced 

 animals of great beauty, strength and fleetness, in)proving thereby the 

 stock of the country in a very great degree. 



In consequence of the inconvenient distance of " the York Course" 

 from the city of Charleston, and with a view to slill further encourage 

 and improve the breed of good horses, it was deemed advisable to estab- 

 lish a new Course nearer town. 



This was accordingly done by subscription in the year l7o4 ; the new 

 Course being laid out about a mile from the city. It was announced to 

 the public as " The Neio Market Coursed 



Races took place on it, for the first time, on the 19th February, 1760, 

 under the proprietorship of Mr. Thomas Nightingale, a Yorkshireman 

 by birth, the grandfather of our highly respected fellow-townsman. Dr. 

 Joseph .Johnson. This Course was situated on the Common on Charles- 

 ton Neck, commonly known as Blake's Tract, through which the Rail- 

 road now runs, immediately on leaving the upper depot. The Course 

 took in the whole of the unenclosed ground between King-street road 

 and the low ground to the east of Meeting-street. Meeting- street road, 

 however, did not exist in those days, and the starting-post was fixed at 

 first at the north-west corner of the field on King-street road ; it was af- 

 terwards moved, when the Meeting-street road was opened, to the west- 

 ern edge of the Meeting-street road, as it now exists, immediately on the 

 rise of the hill, half-way between Mr. Paine's farm and the Lines. For 

 many years, however, after the completion of the Meeting-street road, 

 those two gi'eat outlets from the city, viz., the King-street road and the 

 3* 



