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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



critical season. On good, well-sheltered pastures, with 

 ewes in fair condition, upwards of 100 percent, is often 

 saved ; if at any time the yield falls much ?jelow 80 per 

 cent, there is ground for suspecting some mismanage- 

 ment; if it falls below 40 per cent, gross defects of 

 management must have existed. One of the most 

 ordinary causes of failure of increase in sheep hus- 

 bandry is the very prevalent custom of overworking 



the grazing, so as to produce an unnatural delicacy o^ 

 constitution in the stock. In flocks where there is a 

 fair proportion of breeding ewes, of wethers, and other 

 dry sheep, the clip of wool is considered to be more 

 than sufficient to defray all charges of management, 

 and the value of the annual increase becomes the net 

 measure of profit accruing. 



HINTS ON THE CULTIVATION OF RACE. 



A CHAPTER OP THE EECENT HISTORY OF EUROPE. 

 EFFECTS OF WAR ON RACE. 



Sib, — The aristocracy of France of the old regime, of 

 conquering Teutonic origin, affords an example of the 

 natural result of inattention to the duties of their position 

 which may not be useless. This class, become enervate 

 and worthless under the comparative warm climate and 

 luxurious dissipated habits of France, were driven out by 

 the Celtic climate-suited aborigines, who constitiited the 

 great body of the working population. The aristocratic 

 governments of the surrounding nations, jealous of con- 

 Btitutional liberty, and trembling for their own position, 

 tried to coerce this movement of the Celtic masses, but 

 were beaten in the attempt. This success in arms of the 

 French people, however, producing a dominant military 

 class, overthrew all hopes of a free constitutional govern- 

 ment in France, and led to a military despotism, an Im- 

 perial Dictator, who being bred of war, and true to liis 

 calling, attempted to subjugate the neighbouring nations ; 

 and the energies of these latter being paralyzed by 

 the rule of antiquated despots, he so far succeeded. The 

 people of these nations, though stunned at first, in a little 

 time became roused by foreign domination, repelled the 

 invaders, and marched to the capital of France, but allowed 

 theu' stupid governments to place one of the old effete regime 

 of France upon the throne of his ancestors, at the same 

 time leaving the whole land of the country in the hands 

 of the aboriginal Celts. This was not what William of 

 Normandy did when he conquered England. The absurd 

 arrangement, of course, could not stand. No sooner had 

 France time to renew her male population, mostly swept 

 away in the war, than she drove tbe old Teutonic families 

 from the throne ; and now the former Imperial govern- 

 ment is re-establshed under the able heir of the first Em- 

 peror, whose faculties have been cultivated by adversity. 

 All this is a natui'al sequence, and might have been fore- 

 told to a nicety. 



This struggle betwixt democracy and aristocracy during 

 my own observation, extending to the time of the 

 fight off the Dogger Bank in 1797, has cost millions of 

 men and thousands of millions sterling of money. It has 

 also prevented to a vast extent improvement and increase 

 of population in Europe, as well as European colonizing 

 emigration, which has during the last forty years of com. 

 parative peace been so advantageous to Britain. It has 

 also burthened industry since that time, and for ages to 

 come, with a vast amount of debt to the non-producing 

 money lender. What might Europe not now have been 

 had her energies, capital, and industry been devoted to 

 purposes of improvement during the great French wars, 

 instead of destruction? It has been stated that these 

 wars have lowered the average height of the French people 



about 2 inches ; the natural result of the elite of the men 

 of France being all carried off in their early youth by 

 Napoleon, to be butchered, or kiUed by over-marching and 

 campaigning hardships, and only the infirm, the lame, the 

 dwarfish, the refused of the army sm-geon, left at home, 

 of whom the present generation are the progeny.* Are we 

 to have this play played over again, with the same unhappy 

 results? Judging from the recent loosened tongues of 

 the French Senate, their threats and boasting, and ex- 

 pressed jealousy and hatred of England, it looks a little 

 Uke it. How very diflerent from our feeling towards the 

 French people !+ 



* Being residing at Paris, previous to the foolisli Elba affair, 

 I one day met a very small man of martial step and mien, but 

 having something of the look of a Chinese lady's foot, his large 

 head corresponding to the not small ankle of the lady. I asked 

 the little man how he came to have such a curious build 1 He 

 replied, that at 14 years of age he was carried away by Bona- 

 parte to the wars, that he had to march all day and throw up 

 entrenchments all night, and often had nothing to eat, so grew 

 no more, but was crushed together rather than expanded as a 

 soldier. I also met numbers who had endured the Russian 

 campaign, with bodies sadly mangled and extremities nipped, 

 some even with the mind much affected, and scarcely able to 

 speak — " the broken tools that tyrants cast away." 



t Although regretting that the freedom ol remark in the French 

 Senate, which the increasing stability of affairs in France has 

 rendered safe, should have been first exerted against Britain, I 

 cannot but congratulate and rejoice with the French people upon 

 this extension of freedom, and hope to see it soon furtlier ex- 

 tended. Theie are many things in which the French should 

 imitate the British, and the British the French ; and the more 

 the two countries come to resemble each other, and come heartily 

 to act in concert, the better for both, and for the advancement 

 of the human species. There is something in the Gallic and Bel- 

 gic mind in advance of the English, though not of the Scotch, in 

 plan — in geometric and mechanical science and design. Although 

 not one-half so much practically a naval nation as the British, 

 yet the affairs of the French dock yards and model of ships have 

 long been fully equal or in advance of the British. Here there 

 is a great and shameful defect in the British system of manage- 

 ment, leaving the direction of the British navy to a few old igno- 

 rant lords nearly a century behind tbe age. The recent advance 

 of the French in naval architecture will I hope effect a change 

 in the British, and that a school of naval architecture, where 

 science and practice should combine, be established. I may men- 

 tion here that in my work, "Naval Timber," published more 

 than 30 years ago, I attempted to draw public attention to a 

 change in our naval architecture, stating that our large unpro- 

 tected men-of-war were useless — that from their great size, afford- 

 ing a mark that could scarcely be missed, explosive shot from 

 steam boats would tear them to pieces — that metallic cover, with 

 sloping sides so that shot would glide off, was necessary ; and at 

 the same time, recommending a navy of steam boats, and of sea 

 rams (the first who proposed such) of great strength and velocity, 

 with nothing external but a sloping metallic cover. Yet the 

 Rutsian war found us without a single effective steam boat, and 

 the safety of Cronstadt and Petersburg, and, we may add, the 

 length of siege and great loss before Sebastopol, was the result. 

 Again, about 15 years ago I published an article, " Iron versus 

 Wood," strongly inculcating an iron navy — that nothing could 

 compare with an iron steam frigate. Slip copies of this were for- 

 warded to the Lords of the Admiralty, and thanks returned, but 

 without avail. Antiquated Admirals, with their foolish notions 

 and prejudices, totally ignorant of mechanical science and engi- 



