[ '57 ] 



And as it is impofTible, by forting, in this cafe, to 

 leparate the coarfe from the fine, the general ftaple 

 of the wool can never be of the fined quality: but 

 if the heat of fummer, in the place where (beep 

 are kept, does not greatly exceed the cold in winter, 

 the wool produced in that climate will be nearly of 

 an equal degree of finenefs throughout the whole 

 length of the filament, and therefore it will be, 

 upon the whole, of a much finer quality than if the 

 fame wool had grown in a climate where the heat 

 at one feafon'wus very great. But, it is well known, 

 that on account of the infular ficuation of Britain, 

 though our winters be not intenfely cold, we never 

 experience fuch a degree of heat in fummer as takes 

 place in France and other continental countries. 

 In this refpe<5l, and in this refpedt alone, is Britain 

 favoured by nature beyond other countries, in what 

 regards the rearing of fine wool, Juppofing they were 

 equally in pojfejfton of the fame breed of fheep. And, 

 when we advert, that, in fome of the northern parts 

 of this ifland efpecially, the winters are fo moderate 

 as feldom to deprive the flocks from reaching their 

 food on account of fnow ; and the heat in fummer 

 fo moderate as to be no more than fufficient to pro- 

 duce grafs in abundance, without danger of parch- 

 ing it up; we fhall be forced to acknowledge that 

 this is a great and ineftimable blefling with reipefl 



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