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The ftieep are finall, and diftinguifhed from other 

 fheep by marks unneceffary to relate 5 — arc fubjeft 

 to few difeafesj and fell at about 5s. a head. Each 

 Iheep has about two pounds of wool, one-fourth of 

 which is very fine 5 the hatters in Edinburgh have 

 offered four or five fhillings per pound for it, but it 

 fells at one Ihilling per pound.* The oldeft ewes 

 have the finefl wool, but the coarfeft is thought fine 

 in Scotland. I have heard that the fame breed of 

 iheep may be found in Ireland and Herefordfhirej 

 but little diflinguifhed by the finenefs of their wool. 



The number of fheep may be about ninety thou- 

 fand, but might be increafid to four times that num- 

 ber ; to point out the means of which was the chief 

 defign of this effay. 



The caufes of decreafe are many: 



\ft. The landholders fubdivide their lands fo 

 often for the purpofe of getting a number of filhers, 

 \N, B, Six acres is a large farm] — that few tenants 

 are rich enough to purchafe fheep, wherefore the 

 mafler gives them fome in fleelbow, that is, the te« 

 nant keeps them, and the mafler has the half of all 

 the produd -, but as he never claims the dead, the 

 tenants, urged by hunger and difpirited by oppref- 

 fion, often /W fheep dead by accidents unknown. 



* This feems unaccountable, 



adly. The 



