TROTTING FAMILIES. 27 
him. He was a handsome round-built bay horse with 
black points, and he is said to have trotted in England 
nine miles in twenty-nine minutes and thirty-eight 
seconds, and two miles in six minutes. Bellfounder 
was of the same blood from which the modern hackney 
is derived, and of much the same origin as that famous 
Marshland Shales whose name is preserved in the 
works of George Borrow. An old advertising card 
was discovered some years ago, in which it is stated 
that Bellfounder’s dam was Velocity. In 1806 Velo- 
city was matched to trot sixteen miles within an hour 
on the Norwich road, and although she broke into a 
gallop fifteen times, “and as often turned round” (that 
being the penalty), she won the match. 
Bellfounder was described as “plump in form and 
muscular in all his parts,” and as having “a fine, 
slashing gait.” He contributed to the Hambletonian 
family that mildness of temper for which, unlike 
the earlier Messengers, they have always been distin- 
guished. 
Rysdyck’s Hambletonian was an animal of extraor- 
dinary appearance, looking very much as a locomo- 
tive might look if it were turned into a horse with no 
more changes than were necessary to effect the trans- 
formation. He had a long, round body, like the boiler 
of an engine, of almost the same girth throughout. 
His neck was short and straight, and he had a big, 
ugly head, surmounted by ears which, though large 
and coarse, were a little too well shaped to be posi- 
tively ill-bred. His expression was good, phlegmatic 
but amiable, and full of character. He stood very 
firm and solid, on feet perfect in shape and texture ; 
and his legs were flat, clean, heavily muscled, and free 
