Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08


AS evidence of the high value put upon
Sailor. Mr.. Law then goes on to state that
at the height of the merino fever, when
rams were selling for hundreds of dollars
apiece Gov. lloyd gave Mr. Mercer a ram
for Sailcr and took him to his eastern shore
estate, where his progeny were still know II
in 1873 as the Sailor by6ed. Mr.. Mercer also
described the dog as follows: He was of
fine size and figure lofty in his carriage,
and built for strength and activity; remark
aDly muscular and broad across the hips
and breast; head large but not out of pro-
portion; muzzle rather longer than is COM
mon with that race Of dogs; his color a
oiney red. with some white face and
breasts mis- coat short and smooth. but UNI
commonly thick. and more like a coarse fur
than hair; tail full with long hair. and al
ways carried very high. His eyes were pc
culiar; they We're so light to have al
most an unnatural appearance. something
resembling what is termed a walI-eye in
horse. Twenty years after Mr. Mercer
parted with Sailor he went at the invitation
of Gov. Lloyd, who sent d sloop purposely
for him, TO visit the governor at his eastern
shore estate, and there saw many of Sail
or's descendants. marked with all this pecu-
narity.
1t can hardly be said that there is any
thing besides presumptive evidence that
these two were bred together. They were
purchased in Newfoundland for that pur-
pose and what that was was well known
to the two who first had the rescued pup
pies. Gov Lloyd did not get Sailor till he
had an established reputation, and ii is fair
presumption that there were at that time
descendants of the two with no outside
blood 1t is equally presumable that there
were descendants from Sailor from other
dams than Canton. and that he was the
progenitor of so many that they We're neces-
sarily interbred and established his type
of the rusty-red coat what is now called
sedge. and his peculiar texture of coat still
prevails to u great extent, while the yell
low eye OF the Chesapeake is still of
the features that hold out against all ef-
forts to get something less objectionable.
As late as 1915 the dog Drake, belonging
to Mr.. Harrison Of Baltimore, was de-
scribed as the best living specimen of her
stock" Canton being referred to, but what
brakes descent was from Canton is not in
evidence. In those days. if dog traced
back to a celebrity that was the pedigree
that was given and intermediate links were
not considered of great import.
There is an illustration of Drake which
the author quoted from cleverly says is
said to resemble the dog very much for he
certainly knew that the illustration was
that of the Newfoundland given being
of the original breed In Jardine's Nat
urai History. 1t is however. slightly
changed in the reproduction, the tan
face and legs being made white muzzle
and blaze, with white chest and white legs
as high as the fetlocks. The changes we
may suppose We're made to conform TO the
markings OF this dog Drake, and If he was
typical of the progeny of Canton. then
Sailor was the dog we owe the Chesapeake
to. There is a side issue which opens up
another story and that is as to the New
toundland dog. What was the dog of New
foundland If these were selected as the best
obtainable specimens?