S?98 Particulars of the Sale of Part of 



behind the horns, is a soft protuberance of flesh : they are 

 also less in size than a great proportion of the English sheep. 

 The Merino flock continued healthy, and increased very 

 fast : but the buyers of wool were averse to the idea that 

 any wool grown in England could answer the purpose of 

 that imported from Spain, in the manufacture of fine cloth; 

 and Sir Joseph Banks was unable to obtain more than 2s. 

 per pound for the wool of these sheep in 1796, and only 

 2s. 6d. in 1797- In 1798, this wool was washed previous 

 to the sale, and sorted into three different parcels, according 

 to its fineness, as is done in Spain, viz. prime wool, or 

 Rafnnos (R), which sold for 5s.: choice locks, or Finos (F), 

 at 3s. 6d.; and fribs or Terceros (T), which fetched 2s. 6d. 

 The fleeces of 1 799 from this increasing flock, treated in 

 the same way, were sold • the prime wool, or R's, for 5s. 6d., 

 the choice locks, or F's, for 3s. 6d., and the fribs, or (T's), 

 for 2s. 3 — 5s. 6d. being in these two last years the standing 

 price of the very best imported wool. The royal Merino 

 flock at Oatlands continuing to increase, in 1800 the R's 

 produced 5s., the F's 3s., and the T's Is. 6d. In 1801 the 

 R's fetched 5s. 6d.; the F's 3s. 6d.; and the T's Is. 9d. 

 Eleven wether or castrated sheep were this year fatted, and 

 at Christmas 1 SOI sold at good prices; the mutton also 

 proving excellent in quality : and very unexpectedly the pelt 

 wool, or that obtained from the skin by the fellmonger, 

 produced 10s. for each, sheep, after allexpenses attending 

 it were paid. 



In 1802 Sir Joseph Banks obtained for the wool of his 

 majesty's Spanish flock, the R's 5s. 9d. ; the F's 3s. 6d. ; and 

 the T's is. 9d. ; and in the year 1803, the prime, or R's, 

 produced ,6s. gd.; the F's 4s. 6*d., and the T's 2s. The quan- 

 tity of the inferior sorts of wool, from each fleece, has 

 evidently decreased since these sheep were in England, and 

 at this time less of the fribs will be found in any number of 

 fleeces of his majesty's wool, than in the same number and 

 weight of fleeces produced in Spain ; a proof that the wool 

 is not disposed to degenerate in our climate. The wool of 

 the present season was washed on the backs of the sheep in 

 the English wav, and sold all together without scouring 

 or sorting, at 4s. 6d. per pound. The royal Merino flock 

 in June last consisted of 100 ewes, 5 rams, and 78 lambs ; 

 these 78 lambs being the produce of 90 ewes, with which 

 4 rams were used; also of 23 shearling rams, 7 rams of 

 greater ages, and 14 ewes, which were selected for the in- 

 tended sale, in a paddock in Richmond park, by the side of 

 Kew Foot- lane, not far from the Pagoda. 



Among 



