918 DEANE PHILLIPS 
In addition to those shipped from New London, many Connecticut 
horses were put directly aboard ship at the towns on the Connecticut 
river, especially at Windsor, which had a considerable trade with the 
West Indies (139); and after the middle of the century, considerable 
numbers were sent out from New Haven. New London, however, was 
the chief point of embarkation, and many horses, as well as other live- 
stock, were driven in from other colonies to be sent from there to the 
southern market (140). All the Connecticut vessels were supposed to 
clear at this port (141), and some of the river vessels undoubtedly 
took on board their cargoes of horses there (142), although, according 
to Caulkins, many such vessels ‘‘ shpped over the bar uncounted ’’ and 
sailed directly to the Indies (148). 
This commerce of the Connecticut coast towns was well known. 
James Fenimore Cooper, in one of his tales of frontier life written at 
a date (1832) near enough to the heyday of this trade to have enabled 
him to get direct testimony as to its extent, puts the following in the 
mouth of one of his characters: ‘‘ I have been down at the mouth of 
both Havens, that . . . named after the capital of Old England, 
and that which is called Haven with the addition of the word ‘ New,’ 
and have seen the snows and brigantines collecting their droves like 
the ark, being outward bound . . . for barter and traffic in four 
footed animals ’’ (144). 
The Connecticut vessels were mainly sloops and schooners, single- 
decked and without topmasts; and, unlike those of the other colonies, 
they were engaged almost entirely in the West Indies trade, making 
two trips a year. In New London, however, there were built some 
larger square-rigged ships, with more ample deck space designed to 
facilitate the transportation of large cargoes of livestock. These ‘‘ horse 
jockeys,’’ as they were ealled, have already been mentioned; one of 
them sailed from New London in 1716 bound for Barbados with forty- 
five horses on board, and later others were built which could carry even 
greater numbers (145). In 1724 six of these ships left port together, 
all freighted with similar cargoes (146), and in 1731 three arrived in 
Antigua with so.many horses as to completely swamp the market (147). 
Taken as a whole, the commerce of Connecticut increased very rapidly 
during this period and continued to increase until the beginning of 
