There was nothing striking about her. She was old, her shoulders a trifle flat, and she had a grey muzzle, but withal stood 29m. at the shoulder, had a broad round head, good loin, and deep, lengthy frame. From crossing these dogs with various strains I was easily able to analyse their produce, and I found in them two distinct types - one due to the dog, very tall, but a little short in the body and high on the leg, while their heads were slightly deficient in breadth; the other due to the bitch, equally tall, but deep, lengthy, and muscular, with broad massive heads and muzzles. Some of these latter stood 33m. at the shoulder, and by the time they were two years old weighed upwards of 1901b. They had invariably a fifth toe on each hind leg, which toe was quite distinct from a dew-claw, and formed an integral portion of their feet. By bad management, I was only able to bring a somewhat indifferent specimen with me on my return to England from America - a badly reared animal, who nevertheless stood 32m. at the shoulder, and weighed 1701b. This dog Lion was the sire of Governor and Harold, by Mr. Lukey's bitch Countess, and so certain was I of the vast size of the breed in him that I stated beforehand, much to Mr. Lukey's incredulity, that the produce would be dogs standing 33m. at the shoulder - the result being that both Governor and his brother Harold were fully that height. In choosing the whelps, Mr. Lukey retained for himself the best marked one, an animal that took after the lighter of the two strains that existed in the sire; for Governor, grand dog and perfect mastiff as he was, compared to most others of the breed, was nevertheless shorter in the body, higher on the leg, and with less muscular development than Harold, while his head, large as it was, barely measured as much round as did his brother's. I, who went by the development of the fifth toe (in this case only a dew-claw), chose Harold, a dog which combined all the best points, except colour, of both strains, and was a very perfect reproduction on a larger scale of his dam Countess. This dog was the finest male specimen of the breed I have met with. His breast at ten months old, standing up, measured 13m. across, with a girth of 41in., and he weighed in moderate condition 1401b., and at twelve months old 16olb., while at 13½ months old Governor only weighed in excellent condition 1501b., with a girth of 4oin.; and inasmuch as Governor eventually weighed 18olb. or even more, the size to which Harold probably attained must have been very great. His head also in size and shape promised to be perfect.

I will mention three other dogs. The first, Lord Waldegrave's Turk, better known as "Couchez," was the foundation of Mr. Lukey's breed. This dog has frequently been described to me by Bill George and Mr. Lukey, and I have a painting of his head at the present moment. He stood about 29½in. or 30m. at the shoulder, with great length and muscular development, and, although he was never anything but thin, weighed about 130lb.. Muzzle broad and heavy, with deep flews; skin over the eyes and about the neck very loose; colour red, with very black muzzle. He was a most savage animal; was fought several times with other animals, and was invariably victorious. The second was a tailless brindled bitch, bought by Mr. Lukey from George White, of Knightsbridge. She was a very large massively built animal, standing 30m. at the shoulder. Her produce with Couchez were remarkably fine. "Long-bodied, big-limbed, heavy-headed bitches. They were mastiffs Mr. Lukey had in those days! " is Bill George's eulogium of them. This bitch was bred by the Duke of Devonshire, and must therefore have been one of the Chatsworth breed. The third animal, L'Ami, was a brindled dog of such vast size and weight that he was taken about and shown in England, in the year 1829, the price of admission being one shilling. Of the head of this dog also I have a drawing, and it shows him to be very full and round above the eyes, with a broad heavy muzzle and remarkably deep flews, the ears being cropped close. This dog, with the exception of rather heavy flews, answered exactly to the type of Vandyke's mastiff.

Now the point to which I wish to draw attention is, that both Couchez and L'Ami came direct from the Convent of Mount St. Bernard. The mighty dogs which used to be kept at Chatsworth (and one of which stood 34m. at the shoulder) were pure Alpine mastiffs, as also were the two magnificent animals I have mentioned as having seen at Bill George's kennels some sixteen years ago; while others that I frequently used to meet with at that time were of the same character. These, one and all, presented the same type - a strong proof of their purity - and that type was in all respects the same as the old English mastiff portrayed by Vandyke. The same may be said of the dogs in Landseer's picture of Alpine mastiffs, which have all the points of the true mastiffs, although their tails, as might be expected from the cold climate, are hairier than they should be. At that time one used to meet with good English mastiffs also, but they were few compared to the number of half-bred animals that went by that name; and, with the exception of Mr. Lukey's breed, the good ones have nearly all come from Lancashire, Cheshire, and the north of England generally, where some years ago they were still in considerable request for guarding the large bleaching grounds. Between these and the Alpine dogs I never could discover the slightest difference except in size - the best English dogs varying from 29m. to 33m. at the shoulder, while the Alpine male specimens were seldom under 32in.

Now, it is ridiculous to suppose that the dogs that used to be found at the convent, and in a few of the Swiss valleys, were a breed indigenous to that small part of the continent of Europe; and yet it was there only that the breed existed. When, therefore, we find the same animal common in England two hundred years ago, and still to be met with in considerable numbers, though more rarely than formerly, it is only reasonable to conclude that the English and Mount St. Bernard mastiffs are identical breeds, and that the monks, requiring large, powerful, generous, and high-couraged animals for their benevolent purposes, selected the old English dog in preference to all other breeds. It is very easy to understand that, with the disuse of the breed for combating wild animals, they should have been allowed to die out and degenerate in England; and it is equally easy to understand that the mastiffs kept at the Convent of St. Bernard for a particular purpose, requiring strength and courage, should have been kept up, and thus that the best specimens of the breed in modern times have come from there.