906 DEANE PHILIPS 
pal matters which are exported among us is horses and _ pro- 
visions ’’ (90). 
In Connecticut, also, horses soon came to be a recognized commodity 
of trade. From the towns on the upper Connecticut River, as late as 
1680 many horses were being driven overland to Boston to be sold, 
presumably for the export trade (91). The coast region of Connecti- 
cut had before this time begun a direct trade with the West Indies. 
In 1667 it is recorded that a vessel had been sent out from New London 
bound for the island of Nevis, from which twenty-six horses were lost 
overboard in a storm (92). Such other evidence as is available indicates 
that this was not an isolated shipment from New London. This port 
was, in fact, so situated as to draw not only on a fairly well-adapted 
livestock area in Connecticut, but also on the most important part of 
the Rhode Island area, and with the development that continued to 
take place it in time became the chief center for the exportation of 
horses from New England. In the period before 1700, however, New 
London had but made a beginning in this trade, and this was also the 
condition of Newport, Providence, and the river towns of Connecticut. 
HORSE STEALING 
One further development took place during the period just described, 
which casts an interesting side light on the extent of the export trade 
in horses and its effect on the New England region. This was the grow- 
ing prevalence of horse stealing throughout all the colonies. One of 
the objects of the branding of horses and cattle, already described, 
was to prevent this practice. The brander in most of the towns was a 
dignitary of no small importance, and as a rule was required not only 
to brand each animal but also to keep a record of the operation in an 
official book together with a description of all the natural and artificial 
marks on the animal and the name and residence of the owner. In 
Rhode Island (93) and in Connecticut (94) there were fixed severe 
penalties for any person who took or attempted to take out of the town 
any horses or cattle without first informing the official brander and 
receiving his permission. 
Branding alone, however, did not provide a very effective check on 
the stealing of horses and cattle. As the exportations grew in volume 
and more and more ports were engaged in the trade, it became increas- 
