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PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, No. 6, NEW BRIDGELET;
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On the 28th of January was published, the SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER to our Twentyfecond Volume, containing HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECTS of LITERATURE, fundry COMMUNICATIONS relative to BOOK-SOCIETIES, and the NEGOTIATION PAPERS.

THE

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

No. 153.]

FEBRUARY 1, 1807.

[1 of VOL. 23.

1. As long as those who write are ambitious of making Converts, and of giving to their Opinions 3 Maximum of * Influence and Celebrity, the most extenfively circulated Mifcellany will repay with the greatest Effet the "Curioĥity of those who read either for Amusement or Intruction." JOHNSON,

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

AVING lately read a very ufeful

Hand interefting French work, on

the fubject of fine-wooled Spanish theep, and being of opinion that its leading features ought to be generally known throughout this ifland, I take the liberty of requciting the publication of them through the medium of your valuable and widely circulated Mifcellany.

I lament that, after the fuccefsful experiments and fatisfactory reports of fuch fpirited and enlightened agriculturifts as Lord Somerville, Mr. Tollet, and Dr. Parry, any further incitement to the adoption of a race fo juttly esteemed fhould be neceffary; but it unfortunately happens that in this, as in every other Country, ignorance and prejudice are continually thwarting the efforts of rational conviction. He, therefore, who attempts by perfuafion founded on juft grounds, to difpel the mift, which clouds the faculties and prevents the exertions of British breeders, will not have the cenfure of candid and well-informed men. It is true that the Merino sheep is not likely to attract the approbation of any one by its beauty; fill lefs fo in the prefent age, when fymmetry of form has been fo clofely studied, and completely obtain ed; but to this it may be replied, firft, that the defect in carcafs thould be principally afcribed to British fupineness; and fecondly, that it can be remedied. To fubftantiate my charge, I need only temark that this nation has for many years, without even being at the trouble of an experiment, paid to Spain for her finet wool almoft any price that the chofe demand, The article was indifpenfable to our fuperfine manufactures; we conteated ourselves with believing the affertion that the foil, climate, and other local eircumstances, were the caufes of wool being produced in Spain of an inimitable quality and we continued to tranfmit our enormous orders to a country, which Was unnally becoming more in alliance MONTHLY MAG. No. 159.

with, or rather in fubjection to our deadly foe. The natural refult of our credulity and folly was, that the theep-owners in

Spain, perceiving the vaft profits of the

fleece, devoted their whole attention to its improvement, and left the carcals to take its chance of becoming better or worfe. Hence, the latter enfued; but, as I have faid, the evil may be remedied. That intelligent and patriotic breeder, Mr. Tollet, of Stafford/hire, (whofe naine I have before mentioned, who has now a large flock of Merino, and Anglo-Merino theep, and who is indefatigable in his endeavours to promote the adoption of this celebrated race,) itates, that, in defiance of neglect, fome of the sheep, which have been brought to this country from Spain, have been far from deficient in thofe characteristics, which are generally confidered as combining excellence of form. It follows, therefore, that judicious felection from the offspring of thefe, and of others, might ere long totally remove the abfence of fymmetry, fo much complained of. But after all, viewing them in their prefent ftate, and fuppofing that their hape never can be improved, allow me to ask whether the rude Arab, like the enlightened Briton, would, while contemplating the deformity of his camel, lofe fight of its utility. Is it not a furlicient incentive to the fauners of thofe districts, where the sheep is reared principally for carding-wool, (and many of thefe flocks are far from exhibiting models of beauty) that a fugle crofs of the Merino race will double the value of each fleece; that the animal, thus yielding at once double profit as to wool, will live on the fame pafturage; and that a butcher, if withing to buy a fcore fat wethers of this crofs, would value them according to his calculation of their weight, &c. without reference to their beauty; fo that one breed would in this refpect be exactly fituated like the other? Is it not fufficient, I fay, that the carcafs fhould be worth no lefs, while the fleece by its increafe, both in quantity and quality,

will be of double, then treble, and quadruple value, as the Merino blood continues to be introduced? That fuch is the abfolute fact we have abundant proof from the molt refpectable authorities above quoted. Yet are there many farmers who tell us, that they are content with the breed, by which their forefathers earned a livelihood, like a thepherd at Pearuddock, who, being asked, wheuce his iugularly rough-legged, ill-formed fheep had beeu obtained, gave as his auswer: “ Lord, Sir, they are fik as God fet upon the land; we never change any." After thele few preliminaries, which will, I trust, not be deemed useless, I proceed to M. Lafteyrie's Account of the Introduction of fine-wooled Spanith Sheep, into the differcut States of Europe, and at the Cape of Good Hope:

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«There is, doubtless, jutt ground for furprife, tha Sweden, which feemed to be a country the most unfavourable in Europe for rearing fine-wooled fheep, hould, nevertheless, have been the first to naturalize this valuable race; but what excites till greater aftonishment is, that there are men in France (to which inay be added England) who fill difpute the poflibility of a naturalization established in Sweden, during nearly a century. M. Alftroemer imported a flock of Merino sheep from Spain in 1723; and government, convinced that the ignorance of thepherds opposed serious obftacles to the prefervation and propagation of this new race, inftituted in 1739 a fchool for thepherds, the direction of which was confided to M. Alstroemer. Premiums were appointed, and various falutary regulations adopted. In 1764, Sweden poffeffed 65,369 fheep of the pure, and 23,584 of the mixed breed; and although this fupply was not fuflicient for the manufactures of the country, yet the importation of wool has been gradually diminishing from year to year, while the manufactures have been increafing; fo that, taking every thing fairly into calculation, it may be afferted that the number of pare and mixed breeds is at prefent about 100,000, and this forms a 25th part of all the sheep reared in that country: a very great proportion, if we confider the relative ftate of agriculture in that country, which it would here occupy too much space to deferibe. The Merino theep preferve, in Sweden, their pri

• Beauties of England and Wales, vol. III,

P. 19.

mitive form; their fleece is close and firm, lofing nothing in fineness, length, elasticity, or quantity. There are rams, which have produced thirteen pounds of wool. I obferved too, that the race, bred in and inured to this climate, appeared fironger and larger than the theep of Spam. I found on the farm of M. Schulzenheim, in the province of Upland, a flock con-, fifting of animals bred from a Spanith inportation fifty-five years before the time; and their wool, when compared with that of fome Merinos recently procured from the fame country, yielded to it in no one defirable quality. Thele, and other facts, prove in a manner decitive and peremptory, that the Spauifh fheep may be propagated and reared to advantage in fevere climates, by which it is certain that the fleece is not affected; a fact, inconteftibly proved by the fpecimens which I procured on my journey through different countries; and which I afterwards fubmitted to the infpection of the Department of the Seine.

"DENMARK AND NORWAY.

"The Norwegian race has been improved by the English, as well as the Spanish breeds, but the most important amelioration in the fleece must be attributed to a Spanish ram, which was imported above fifty years ago on the western coast of Norway. This introduction was, however, but partial, and" did not extend into other parts of the country, where the fheep in a wild ftate, and without inconvenience, bid defiance to the most intenfe cold. I have feen them living in the midft of fnow, without ever receiving any portion of food from the hand of man; and of fo untractable a nature are they, that they cannot be taken but by a chace on horfeback. This breed is fo accustomed to the impreffions of the atmosphere, that it cannot fupport a fudden tranfition from a state of nature to a domestic one.

"The Danes, induced by the example of Sweden, imported Spanifh fheep from that kingdom about twenty-feven years fincé, and their defcendants exift to this day, though not in large numbers. Some of them have preferved their original quality of fleece, while others have degenerated, but palpably from neglect. At Efferuin, a royal domain, I faw a flock of Spanith theep imported from Sweden, many years before, which yielded wool of a fair quality. To that place, too,, which is eight leagues from Copenhagen," the Danith government hus fent three hundred Merino fheep, imported from

Spa

Spam in 1797. This flock is compofed of the breeds, which are of all others the mott defirable to be obtained, viz. thofe of the Eleurial, of Guadaloupe, of Pantur, of the Duke del Infantado, of the Count de Montureo, and the Count de Negretti. "The Efcarial breed is looked upon as poffefling the finest fleece in all Spain, The Guadaloupe theep are reinarkable for fymmetry of form, as well as for the quantity and quality of their wool. The Poular are equally gifted with the two litter perfections, but poffefs a greater fwell behind the ears, and a more palpable degree of throutines. The lambs of this breed, and thofe of the Infantado, are generally produced with a coarfe hairy appearance, which is fucceeded by wool of exquifite quality. The Negretti hreed is compofed of the larget theep in Spain. The Elferom flock, when I faw it, had been twenty months from Spain, and was very healthy. Only two sheep Ind been lost by the long voyage, fevere anter, and heavy rains of Spring, to which they had been expofed fuce their arrival in Denmark,

“SAXONY.

"Upper Saxony is the country into which, after Sweden, the Spanith race of feep is of most ancient introduction, and it is in Saxony that this naturalization has been marked with the completel fuccefs, and produced the most advantageous refults. The different indigenous breeds of that country, of which fome prodace tolerable and others very coarfe wool, have been equally improved by the crufs. The Elector of Saxony, withing to repair the devastations becationed bo his dominions by a feven years' war, obtained from the King of Spain in 1765, a felection from the beft Merino flocks, confifting of one hundred rams, and two hundred ewes. Experience having proved that they were easily reconciled to the climate, attention was paid to the general amelioration of native breeds, after fubjecting thofe animals which appeared moll defective to caftration. In 1776, theep of four years old were difpaled of to individunds; but as the bent experiments al ways meet with opposition, the fate was attended with fuch difficulties, that the government obliged thole who rented the electoral farins, to purchase a certain proportionate mumber of Spanith theep. The breeders foon difcovered what was moft conducive to their intereft, and the Electotal fleks not being able to fupply the dens which multiplied every day, other importation took place in 1778,

and feveral more fince that time. At prefent the Elector's Block ants to 3,400, and he annually difputes of fire Imndred by paldic auction, which are bot enough to meet the deands of the breeders. The Sparth race preferre is Saxony all their original perfections? which is proved by the specimens of wood preferved for many years, and alto by a comparison of new importations with the offspring of humer ones. The Susoa vernment has been amply recuperord for its attention, and inferuified for its advances by the immense advantages which the country has thereby provared Sheep-breeding is, indeed, the mott la crative parfait of the Saxon firmer; Mİ the manufacturers, fucking within their own limits the gratity and quality of wook neceflary for their parpole, are no longer obliged to import from Spain; and are thereby freed from lac difadvantages attendant on the chances of cornmerce. Saxony rears about 1,600,000 theep of all kinds; and of there alont 50,000 are at prefent of the Spotify and mixed breeds. There produce tot only the quantity of wool recetfury for the fine manufactures of the country, but even finith a furplus equal to the inte rior confumption, which supdns is Råd at the Leipzig fairs

PRUSSIA.

"Frederick the H. who was not lefs famed for the wisdom of his technika tion, than for his martial glory, and to whom Prulliam agriculture is under great obligations, introduced from Spain, in 1786, a flock of one hundred manus and two bandred ewes, defiimed to improve the various breeds of his kingdom. Se veral Prullian farmers have, fince that time, bought theep of the Sex-Spauith kind; in confequence of which the cabtry can now beat of many flocks en tirely compofed of fine-wooled animals! Government has encouraged this evident advantage, and has founded an inftitution for the purpose, which is directed be Mr. Fink, a celebrated agriculturist of Germany. This gentleman had began the improvement in his own flock by the in troduction of theep from Silefin, remark: able for the fineness of their fleece. He purfued his fyftem further by purchases from Saxony in 1768, and from Spain in 1778. By thefe progretive meaus, Mr. Fink has fucceeded in imparting tiuenefs to the fleeces of Pruflian fheep, which were originally of the coarfelt quality. Ile has been imitated, with a refult equally fatisfactory, by the Count val

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