l(\I State of His Majesty's Flock of Spanish Sheep. 



old and infirm, being unwilling to part with animals which 

 had belonged to the royal flock ; he however sold their ram 

 lamb of the last year for 30 guineas, and thus made some 

 progress in ascertaining the value of this important breed. 



These facts, which prove an amelioration in the king's 

 Merino sheep, are fully confirmed by the improved shape 

 and weight of his majesty's sheerling rams of the present 

 year, and give a justifiable hope, that by a due selection 

 of rams and ewes, and a correct judgment in matching them, 

 Merino sheep will in time be produced, with carcases per- 

 fectly fashionable, and wool as perfectly fine. 



No purchaser having been last year found for the lambs* 

 wool at a price adequate to its value, it was made into light 

 ladies-cloth, which proves excellent, and promises to be a 

 valuable article. A speculation, however, has offered for 

 manufacturing the lambs' wool into superfine woollen hose, 

 which seems likely to yield a still better price for the raw 

 article than the cloth. 



The demand for his majesty's Merino sheep increases at 

 present beyond all calculation. The best-informed clothiers 

 hi Gloucestershire, enlightened no doubt by the useful la- 

 bours of the Bath Society, and the valuable experiment of 

 Dr.. Parry, as well as by the doctor's, and by lord Somer- 

 ville's publications, are among the most anxious applicants 

 to purchase. The Bath Agricultural Society, whose atten- 

 tion has been most particularly directed to the improvement 

 of English wool, humbly requested the king to give them 

 a Spanish ram ; which request his majesty most graciously 

 complied with last autumn, and they returned thanks in the 

 warmest terms of respectful gratitude and satisfaction. 



As speculation on the value of Spanish sheep is evidently 

 on the increase, and a reasonable probability now appears 

 that his majesty's patriotic exertions, in introducing the 

 breed, will at last be duly appreciated and properly under- 

 stood, it would be palpably unjust should the views of those 

 who wish to derive a fair advantage from the sale of the pro- 

 geny of Spanish sheep purchased by them from the royal 

 Hock, be in future impeded by a continuation of the sale of 

 the king's sheep at prices below their real value. 



This circumstance having been stated to the king, his 

 majesty was graciously pleased to permit the rams and ewes 

 that are to be parted with from the royal Merino flock this 

 year to be sold by auction, in the same manner as is done 

 at Wobum by his grace the Duke of Bedford, and at Holk- 

 ham by Mi. Coke, on the presumption of this being the 

 most likely manner of placing the best individuals of their 



improved 



