Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-04-13
JAMES DELANCEY, IMPORTER OF
THE CELEBRATED WILDAlR.
From Spirit of the Times. 1S43,1


a testimonial of his usual accuracy in de-
tails of this nature. The following re-
marks by j. Fennimore Cooper, Esq, in
justice to him, as well as to the subject, |
copy in extenso, not doubling the cor
rectness of Mr.. Cooper's narrative in any
one particular. Its extraordinary detail,
and being, too, from the pen of the dis
tinguished author, sheds interest upon
subject that would otherwise be unn-
viting.
In Mr.. SINNERS treatise on "The
Horse" prefacing the American edition
of Iouatt, Wildair is mentioned as hav-
ing sheen imported by Gen. Delaney"
"This," says Mr.. Cooper, sis a mistake.
Wildair was imported by James DeLan-
cey, the gentleman who is the head of the
family, inherting the estate of his faith
er, Gov. Delaney" etc.
"There were two General DeLancey's,
father and son, and both named Oliver.
The father died in III, in command of
the British troops then in occupation of
Long Island, his rank being that of brig
adler. The son lived to be full general,
dying within the last % years. At his
death he must have been one of the old
est generals in the British army. This
Gen. Delaney was a cavalry officer,
commanding the 18th light dragons
some forty years. He succeeded Andre
as Acknowledgements, and for long time
was deputy adjutant-general of the Brit
ish army. 1t has probably been owing
to the cavalry propensities of this gentle
man that you have been led into the
error.
The Delaney family had three
branches, descended from brothers the
sons of the Huguenot. The n. Y. branch
was the oldest. The Oliver branch. as it
was called. was the next, and the West
chester branch, descended from Peter
Delaney, by daughter of Governor
Golden, was the youngest. James De-
Lancey, the owner of Widair was the
head of the oldest or n. Y. branch. John
Peter Delaney, my wife's father, was
his youngest brother. | have often
heard my late father-in-law relate the
history of Wildair You probably know
that the horse was repurchased in conse-
quence of his stock proving so good, and
was taken back to England; probably
the only instance of such an occurrence
in our history. The price paid for him
was $500, but whether it was currency or
sterling | cannot say. The difference
was just half, you will see.
James Delaney was the nephew of
the first General Delaney and the cou-
sin of the second. The Oliver branch is
now extinct; the last man in it having
been killed at Waterloo, in the person of
Sir VIM. II. Delaney, Wellington's
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The n. Y, or James branch has now
but one man left in Europe-James-t
present head of this family, lately lieu
tenant-colonel of the lst dragoon guards,
is bachelor, a nephew of my wife, a
young gentleman stands next, and the bis
hop third. His nephew, the bishop, and
the latter's two sons are all the males
left of the evening branch, which was
never numerous.
All the rest of the DeLanceys belong
to the Westchester branch, which has
been numerous. The late Gen. Yards
mother was of this branch, as were divers
other women.
The Col. Oliver Delaney, who was
killed in Spain some ten years since, as
Sir DeLacy Evans Acknowledgements, was
a son of an illegitimate of James, the
Wildair man. But there have been
dozen Colonies Delaney, three or four
of whom were named Oliver.
do not apologize for all this geneal-
ogy, as the man who imported so fine an
animal as Wildair ought not to be robbed
of the honor.
James Delaney, that man, served
when young, rising to be captain, and
he was an aid to Abercrombie. when the
latter was commander-in-chef in this
country. At the death of his father. in
100, he sold out, and married Miss
Allen, of Allentown, Penn. He was a
man of very large estate, one of the
largest in the colonies, and married a
woman of some fortune. He was indo-
lent, but liberal and disposed to do liberal
things. Both he and his father had been
educated at Oxford, and having many
high connections in England, he got the
sporting habits of that country. 1t was
owing to tastes thus acquired that he
brought over Wildair.
The breed is still known among us, by
the name of Wild Deer. That, however,
is among the genuine New Workers.
Thus it would seem by Mr.. Cooper's
account that, superadded to our "terribly
high bred CATTLE" we have among us, of
the genus homo, very high blood, and
'game blood too, that as an American.
l feel confident will show itself whenever
the occa sion rauuiras with a . n,uob trutb