Longhorn Cattle : tlieir Historij and Peculiarities. 469 
history of these cattle from the time of Mr. Prinsep's sale in 1811 
until recent years ; and true it is that they appeared to be neg- 
lected and dying out. The Shorthorn then was becoming the 
fashion, and a heavy cloud appeared to hang on the Longhorn 
horizon ; however, the sale of Air. Brown's beasts, above recorded, 
will serve to show that in some few hands, at least, they were 
cherished and held in high esteem, and we occasionally drop on 
them in showyard annals, not regularly, as is the case with most 
breeds, but occasionally here and there, sometimes an odd speci- 
men or two to compete with other breeds, or in extra classes — 
sometimes in a small class amongst themselves ; and it is only 
fair to them to say that, whenever they have met their rivals in 
the lists, they have quite held their own. 
As might naturally be expected, we find them most plentiful 
in the early part of the century, especially in the first decade 
and half of the next, during which time they figured promi- 
nently in the Shows of the Smithfield Club, in the formation of 
, which Longhorn men were quite as prominent as their brother 
agriculturists — Mr. J. Wilkes, of INIeasham, near Odstone Hall, 
having been the original proposer of it at the meeting held in 
London in December, 1798. His neighbour, Mr. Richard 
Aslley, was found to support him, in conjunction with such 
men as Arthur Young, John EUman, and others. Three 
years later we find the Longhorns were in the winning list 
with Herefords and Sussex cattle. A few more years and 
they took an equal amount of money with Herefords, Short- 
horns, and Sussex ; and, strange as it may seem to modern 
ears, both Shorthorns and Longhorns had to earn their certifi- 
cate of merit as workers on the farm to become eligible 
for showyard honours. In a recent article published on Long- 
, horns, in the 'Agricultural Gazette,' jNIarch 27th, 1876, are 
the following statistics as to their successes at Smithfield : — 
"1800, one cow, 8 guineas ; 1809, one ox, 20 guineas; 1814, 
two oxen, 45 guineas ; 1815, one ox, 15 guineas ; 1826, one 
cow, 10 guineas; 1839, one cow, 20 guineas; 1840, one cow, 
5 guineas ; 1847, one cow, 15 guineas." Thus it will be 
seen that the Longhorns were in this period awarded 153/. 3s. in 
competing with all other breeds. The Longhorn has not gene- 
rally been regarded as a beast that stood crossing with impunity, 
neither I believe does he, where it is intended to breed back to 
the original strain, as his peculiar characteristics will not admit 
of assimilation with other breeds ; but that, as far as meat-pro- 
ducing qualities are concerned, he is calculated to form a heavy 
and good hybrid, is proved by the Earl of Radnor's crossbred heifer 
between the Longhorn and Hereford, which at the Smithfield 
Club Show in 1847, at 2 years and 8 months old, was awarded 
VOL. xir. — s. s. 2 1 
il 
