'His Majesty's, Flock of Spanish Sheep. 297 



cf them, should have been essential to its fabrication. 

 These sheep are known by the name of the Merino breed, 

 and were peculiar to Spain till about the year 17&6, when 

 the unfortunate Louis XVI. introduced a flock of them 

 into France, the progeny of which are still subsisting, and 

 their wool possessing all its original qualities, upon the 

 national farm at Rambouillet, and in the neighbouring 

 communes. His Britannic Majesty was not unmindful of 

 this object, and within a year of the same period began, 

 and continued from time to time, the importation of small 

 flocks of Merino sheep, which were, with his majesty'* 

 known liberality, presented to different agriculturists and 

 breeders ; or sold, with a view of disseminating the breed, 

 at the common prices of English sheep at the time. In 

 the year 1/92, through the medium of lord Auckland, who 

 had been ambassador to Spain, his majesty procured from 

 the marchioness Del Campo Dialange, forty of the best 

 Spanish sheep, in exchange for eight fine English coach 

 horses : this flock his majesty confided to the care of Sir 

 Joseph Banks, bart. president of the royal society, who 

 has paid more attention to the subject of wool (and is" with- 

 out doubt the most perfectly informed on all points relating 

 to its production and uses) than any other man. His royal 

 highness the duke of York's park, at Oatlands, was se- 

 lected as the scene of these interesting and national expe- 

 riments. 



Sir Joseph Banks had assiduously employed himself upon 

 his estate in Lincolnshire, since the first introduction of 

 Spanish sheep, in trying the effect on wool and carcase, 

 of all the crosses which could be made between them and 

 the different breeds in England ; but on receiving charge of 

 the royal Merino flock, in 1792, he disposed of all his own 

 sheep, in which there was any mixture of Spanish, and has 

 confined his views in the management of the royal flock to 

 the preservation of the original breed of 1 792, having since 

 admitted no crosses, not even of newly imported Spanish 

 sheep, however superior their pretensions. These sheep 

 are very far from handsome in their shape, and too gene- 

 rally look thin and poor ; they are principally distinguished 

 from other sheep, next to the superior fineness of the fibre 

 of their wool, by the dirty appearance of their fleece outside, 

 though beautifully white within, owing to the greasy mat- 

 ter, or yolk, as it is called, with which it abounds, causing 

 the dirt of the land to adhere to the wool ; they have also 

 white faces, of a peculiar silky a.ppearance; just above the 

 nose are two or three singular wrinkles, and upon the. head, 



X 3 behiud 



