Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-01-29

elsewhere he speaks more distinctly of
the same breed. "I'he produce of this
colony" Rhode Island, sis principally
butter and cheese, fat cattle, wool, and
fine horses, which are exported to all
parts of English America. They are
remarkable for fleetness and swift pac-
ing and have seen some of them pace
mile in little more than two minutes,
and good deal less than three"
If the worthy doctor of divinity were a
good Judge of pace and had a good tim
ing watch, it would seem that the won
derful time of Pocahontas was equalled,
if not outdone, above a century ago; at
all events, he establishes, beyond per-
adventure. the existence of the family
and its unequalled powers, as well of
speed rs of endurance. 70 the latter
extract is attached the following note,
which | insert entire. with all the
quotations us they stand in the original.
These are, however, somewhat confused !;
so that it is not altogether clear, at all
times, who is the speaker.
"'rhe breed of horses called "Narra-
gansette PAGERS" once so celebrated for
fleetness, endurance and speed, has be-
come extinct. These .hOrses were high
ly valued for the saddle. and transport
ed the rider with great peasantness and
sureness of foot The pure bloods
could not trOt at all. Formerly they
had pace races. Little Neck beach, in
South Kingston. of one mile in length,
was the race course. \ silver tankard
was the prize, and high bets were other
wise made on speed Some of these
prize tankards were remaining few
years ago. Traditions respecting the
swiftness of these horses are almost in
credible. Watson, in his "IIistorical
Tales of Oiden Times, says: In olden
times, the horses most valued were pa
GERS, now so odious deemed. TO this
end the breed was propagated with
care. The Narragansett PAGERS were in
such repute that they were sent for, at
much trouble and expense, by some who
were choice in their selections.
hc dSt,t lllollldS MullOCh Vi IIllId-
delphia was passionately fond of races
in his youth-he said all genteel horses
were PAGERS. \ trotting horse was
deemed a base breed. All races were
pace races.
Thomas Bradford of Philadelphia
says they were run in circular form,
making two miles for heat. At the
same time they ran straight races of a
mile.
"Mr. |. Il. Hazard, in a communica-
ton, states that within ten years, one
of my aged neighbors, Enoch Lewis,
since deceased, informed me that he h ad
boys to return IA similar visit to the
Virginians in that section, in contest
on the turf: and that such races were
common with the racing sportsmen OF
Narragansett and Virginia when he was
Il boy. Like the old English country
gentlemen, from which they were de-
scended, they were a horse-racing, fox
hunting, leasting generation.
"My grandfather, Gov. Robinson, in.
troduced the famous saddle horse. 'tht
Narragausctt PAGER, known in the last
century over all the civilized part OF
North America and the West Indies
from whence they have lately been intro
duced into England As Il ladies saddle
horses under the name of the Spanish Jen
cite. Gov. Robinson imported the origina
from Andalusia, in Spain, and the raising
of them for the West India market wa.
one of the objects of the early planter:
OF this country. My grandfather. Rob
ert Hazard, raised about ii hundred Of
them annually and often loaded two
vessels year with them and othel
products of his farm, which sailed direc
from the South Ferry to the West In
= dies, where they were in great demand
One of the causes of the loss of that ia
nous breed here, was the great demand
for them in Cuba, when that island be
gan to cultivate sugar extensively. Tn,
planters became suddenly rich, ant
wanted the pacing horses, for themselye:
and their wives and daughters to ride
= faster than we could supply them; ant
sent an agent to this country to pur
chase them on such terms as he could
but to purchase at all events.
81 have heard my father say that he
: knew the agent very well and he made
his home at the Rowland Brown house
at Tower Hill, where he commenced
purchasing and shipping until all the
: good ones were sent off. lie never let 6
good one escape him. This, and the
fact that they were not so well adapted
for draft as other horses, was the cause
of their being neglected, and | believe
the breed is now extinct in this section
"My father described the motion of thi:
horse as differing from others, in thai
its back moved through the air in 6
: straight line without inclining the rider