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brother, the late Captain Stamer Gubbins. Some fifteen years after the 

 present owner enlarged the establishment at Knockany, as well as that 

 of Bruree, and started a pack of staghounds at the latter place, where 

 he then resided. He laid out an enormous sum of money upon both, the 

 one as a stud farm, the other as a hunting establishment, and intended 

 to live permanently at his native place. O wing, however, to the out- 

 rageous conduct of the Land League he was obliged to leave the country, 

 and has since then lived in England, Bruree being turned into an extra 

 stud farm. 



The Iruh Sportsman gives an exhaustive account of these establish- 

 ments, from which I see that no less than six thoroughbred stallions are 

 located there for stud purposes, viz., Kendal, May Boy, Lentulus, 

 Ashplant, Ambergate, and Butterscotch. The brood mares number 

 twenty-two and are sired by Solon, Springfield, Petrarch, Rosicrucian, 

 Uncas, Barcaldine, Xenophon, Hermit, Galopin, Ben Battle, Coltness, 

 Hampton, May Boy, Philanftion, Victor, and Lord Gough — all out of 

 thoroughbred dams. It would, I think, be hard to find such 

 a collection of matrons in any one establishment. 



I remember some five-and-twenty years ago, when Captain Gubbins 

 had at Knockany Uncas, by Stockwell, and Xenophon, by Canary, the 

 fees charged for their service were to gentlemen £10, to farmers half 

 that sum ; yet these stallions were about the most useful we have 

 had in Ireland within my memory. Their fame would have been even 

 greater had they been let to no mare other than of good class, but their 

 popular owner was so generous and noble-hearted he could refuse 

 nothing, so every mare sent was served whether she was bad or good. 



After the death of their owner Uncas and Xenophon were sold to go 

 to England, whereupon their fees were raised to 25gs., and subsequently 

 still higher. 



In those days we had other great sires in Victor, Umpire, and Solon, 

 owned respectively by Mr. Harris of Kilmallock, Mr. Ryan of the 

 Curragh, and Mr. Cashman of Donadea ; but they stood at 15g^. 

 and 20gs. I don't think any other five stallions did more good to 

 Irish breeding during the past forty years. From them descended 

 alike flat-racers, steeplechasers, and hunters of the very first merit. 

 Luckily their blood is still plentiful in Ireland. 



With all these facts before us I cannot see how any man can think 

 Ireland is not infinitely better off as a horse-breeding country than 

 ever it was. 



Lackaday ! we are not as rich as the Saxons, and cannot afford to refuse 

 selling to them most of our good horses. Were it otherwise we would 

 have in Ireland to-day Ilex, Why Not, Cloister, Barcaldine, Bendigo, 

 Roy Neil, Tibbie Shells, Roman Oak, Philammon, Kilwarlin, and a 

 dozen more which, as Irish horses have been for the whole century, 

 are mines of wealth in the mother country. 



Worst of all is selling out of Ireland the good brood mares. Even 

 to England they should not be sent. As to selling them or first-class 



H 



