NATURAL HISTORY. 



837 



exertions of individuals, imported 

 Merino sheep, no nation has hi- 

 therto ventured to assert, that they 

 possess the complete, and unmixed 

 race of any one Cavana; this cir- 

 cumstance does not appear to have 

 been attended to any where but in 

 England; though, in fact, each Ca- 

 vana is a separate and distinct 

 breed of sheep, not suffered by the 

 Spaniards to mingle with others. 

 The difference in value of the wool 

 of different Spanish flocks is very 

 great; at this time when Spanish 

 wool is unusually dear, the prima 

 piles are worth more than 7s. a 

 pound, and yet the inferior ones 

 scarce reach 5s. Even the French, 

 attentive as that nation generally 

 is to all things that concern the 

 interest of individuals, appear to 

 have overlooked this circumstance, 

 and to have contented themselves 

 with making up the numbers of 

 their importations, without paying 

 any regard to it; they have not at 

 least slated in any of their publica- 

 tions, that attention was paid to the 

 securing sheep of a prima pile, and 

 keeping the breed of that pile jmre 

 and unmixed, after they had obtain- 

 ed it. 



Our merchants in Spanish wool 

 range the prima piles in the follow- 

 ing order of value, as appears by a 

 statement in the year 1792. 



Paular. 



Negrette. 



Muro. 



Patrimonio, and 15 more not ne- 

 cessary to be enumerated. Mr. Las- 

 teyrie, the French writer on sheep, 

 ranges them not very differently ; 

 he states them as follows: but both 

 •English and French agree that all 

 the prima piles are nearly equal in 

 fineness of fibre, and consequently 

 in value to the manufacturer. 



Escurial, called by us Patrimo- 

 nio. 



Guadalupe. 



Paular. 



Infantado. 



Montareo. 



Negrette, <&c. 



The Danes, he tells us, procured 

 their sheep from the best piles ; 

 but there is no appearance of their 

 having, since they obtained them, 

 kept the flocks separate, nor are 

 they at present so remarkable for 

 fine wool asthe Saxons, whose wool 

 is now at least as fine as that of 

 Spain is, upon an average of prima 

 and second-rate piles. 



The Swedes were the first peo- 

 ple who imported the Spanish 

 breed; this good work was under- 

 taken and completed by the patri- 

 otic exertions of a merchant of the 

 name of Alstraeraer, in the year 

 1723. The next who obtained an 

 importation of Merino sheep were 

 the Saxons, who are indebted for 

 the benefits they enjoy from the 

 improvement of their wools to the 

 prince Xavier, administrator of the 

 electorate during the minority of the 

 elector, and brother-in-law to the 

 king of Spain. The prince obtained 

 a flock of these valuable animals in 

 1766, and in 1778 an addition to it 

 of 100 rams and 200 ewes. The 

 Danes followed his useful example, 

 as also did both Prussia and Aus- 

 tria. Every one of these countries 

 continue at this moment to profit 

 largely by the improvement these 

 sheep have occasioned in their agri- 

 cultural concerns. So far from the 

 truth is the too common assertion 

 that their wool will not continue 

 fine in any country but Spain, that 

 in the year 1806, when the ports of 

 Spain were closed against us, a 

 very large quantity of fine wool, the 



produce 



