Importation into France of the Cachemire Goat. 355 



other person's opinion of Professor Jameson's 3d edition : since 

 then I have had the opportunity of being made acquainted with 

 the sentiments of many of the first mineralogists in England; 

 and I can assure G. M. that he affords the first instance, within 

 my know ledge, of any one having expressed a single sentence in 

 its defence. 



To the advocates of the new system I would give one piece of 

 advice: When they undertake its defence, let them explain those 

 things which must otherwise ap|)ear absurd, instead of vindicat- 

 ing in general terms ; or Professor Jameson, like many others, 

 may have occasion to exclaim: "Save me from my friends, and 

 I shall not fear my enemies." At the same time I am ready to 

 admit that credit is due to G. M. for his anxiety to repel the 

 censure to which his old preceptor has exposed himself: having 

 been educated in the Professor's principles, he does not see the 

 absurdity of them, and affords proof of the correctness of another 

 passage in the author already (juoted : 



" Docilis imitandis 



Turpibus ac pravis omnes suraus." 



I remain, sir. 



Your most obedient humble servant. 

 Thistle Grove, Old Brompton, P. J. BrowK. 



May 6, 1820. 



LVIII. Account of the Importalwn into France of the Cache- 

 mire-wool Goat, extracted from a Memoir on this Subject 

 read to the Royal Academy of' Sciences, September 1819. 



JVl. A.MADKi^s JouBKRT quitted Paris in April ISIS, and pro- 

 ceeded first by Odessa, Tangarock, and Astracan, to the camp of 

 general Jermoiolf in Caucasus, gaining information on the way 

 relative to the object of his journey, from the Bucharians, 

 the Kirghiz, and the Armenians, who frequent Astracan. He 

 was there told that there existed amongst the numerous hordes 

 of Kirghiz (a nomadic tribe rcsifling in Bncharia, on the banks 

 of the Oural lake) a species of goat of a dazzling white, bearing 

 every year a remarkable fleece about the month of June. The 

 specimens of it which he there collected convinced him of the 

 identity of this wool with that which is imported into France 

 through Russia. This discovery was the more im])ortant to him, 

 as it promised to save him the long and difTijiilt journey which 

 he would otherwise have had to encounter in penetrating to 

 Thibet through Persia and Cashemire. In this he was not de- 

 ceived ; for he actually collected scattered samples of this fine 

 wool, at some hundreds of wersts from the VVolga, amongst the 

 G g 2 steppes 



