183 



Virginia, purchased one-third of him, and Col. Hampton the other third. 

 So contident were the owners of Argyle that he must win, (and there 

 was a great deal to justify this belief from his previous trials,) that the 

 Race was booked as a certainty. The calculations, however, that are 

 made on such occasions, are always dangerous. They do very well as 

 long as Time is a horse's only competitor, but atford no ground of rea- 

 sonable conjecture as to what another and a better horse may do. The 

 backers of Argyle concluded that as he could run his first heat under 

 eight minutes, with a strong pull, it was not probable that Bascombe 

 ■would beat him. So with the owners of Boston in the late memorable 

 match at New York — a match which must make immortal both the vic- 

 tor and the vanquished, and hand their names down to posterity as hav- 

 ing made, up to that time, the then quickest 4 mile heat on record in 

 America — they knew, and stated previously, as it appears from " The 

 Spirit of the Times," that Boston could and would run the first heat in 7 

 m. 34 sec. Now, these were high expec^tations to go upon, to be sure^ 

 but they seemed to forget what a few hours' experience demonstrated to 

 their cost, tliat in Racing " some things," as Sam Patch said, " could be 

 done as well as others." It remained for Fashion to prove that although 

 Boston might run the heat in 7 m. 34 sec, she could do it just as ea- 

 sily in Y m. 32 sec. 



Col. Paul Fitzsimons, although living, during the last years of hia 

 life, on the Georgia side of the line, yet from the strong ties of birth and 

 blood which bound him to us, was always regarded as a Carolinian. He 

 was " otf and on " the Turf for a considerable time, both in this State 

 and Georgia, and was a very useful member of the ditferent Clubs in the 

 two States. Like many another companion we have ganged along with 

 in our pilgrimage, he, alas ! has passed to that bourne whence no travel- 

 ler returns to tell the tale of darkness. He still lives, however, in our 

 fondest recollections — he will ever live in the memory of those he left 

 behind him as a liberal sportsman and hospitable gentleman. 



Capt. RowE, of Orangeburg, deserves honorable mention in the calen- 

 dar of those who have contributed to maintain the high standing of the 

 Carolina Turf As the owner of Vertumnus, and many others that, by 

 his great experience and judgment of condition, he contrived lo get 

 in the best possible order, he was always hard to beat, and has fre- 

 quently been a winner at all distances. Not long before his death, we 

 regret to say,- he met with a serious loss by fire. The principal buildings 

 on his plantation were destroyed — among the number, his training stable, 



