222 



SHEER SHEIK. 



cured and kept in the parks of noblemen previously, 

 but without any regard to the wool; nor was much 

 interest awakened by the flock imported in 1787. 

 Subsequently great attention was paid to the im- 

 provement of English wool ; but it was ascertained 

 that though the fleece of the Merino did not much 

 degenerate in England, it did not much improve, 

 .UK! the carcass, which naturally affords little weight 

 of meat, did not improve ; in consequence of which 

 the farmers have found it for their interest, to re- 

 turn to the native breeds, and to give up the Spanish 

 sheep. It appears to be sufficiently established, by 

 evidence taken before the house of lords in 1828, 

 and other authorities, that a considerable deteriora- 

 tion has taken place in the quality of British wool, 

 particularly during the last thirty years. The great 

 object of the agriculturists has been to increase the 

 weight of the carcass and the quantity of the wool, 

 and it seems very difficult, if not impossible, to ac- 

 complish this without injuring the fineness of the 

 fleece. A very great change has taken place within 

 the present century as respects the quantity of fo- 

 reign wool imported into England, and the countries 

 from which it is obtained. Previously to 1800, the 

 average imports did not exceed 3,000,000 Ibs., 

 brought mostly from Spain. In 1800, they amounted 

 to near 9,000,000 Ibs. They now amount to between 

 25,000,000 and 32,000,000, the greater part fur- 

 nished by Germany. The Spanish flocks suffered 

 severely during the campaigns in Spain, and the best 

 Spanish wool does not now bring more than half the 

 price of the best German wool. The breed of 

 sheep that was carried out to New Holland and 

 Van Diemen's Land has succeeded remarkably well. 

 The former promises, at no distant day, to be one of 

 the principal wool-growing countries in the world. 

 The imports into Great Britain in 1830, amounted 

 to 1,967,309 Ibs., while those from Spain amounted 

 only to 1,643,515. According to Mr Luccock's 

 estimate, which was made with great care, the total 

 number of sheep and lambs in England and Wales, 

 in the year 1800, was 26, 148,463. The number has 

 not probably varied much in the interim. In Scot- 

 land, it may be 3,500,000 ; in Ireland it is proba- 

 bly under 2,000,000 ; so that the total number in 

 Great Britain and Ireland may be taken at about 

 32,000,000. In the United States, the first Meri- 

 nos were imported (about 300 in number) in the 

 year 1810, by general Humphreys, American mini- 

 ster in Portugal, and the consul, Mr Jarvis. Gene- 

 ral Derby of Salem, imported as many more ; and, 

 in 1825, a great number of Saxon sheep were 

 brought into that country. These contributed to 

 improve the American breed. But the American 

 wool is far from competing with the Spanish or 

 German, for which many reasons may be given, 

 among others, that the high price of labour prevents 

 the existence of a particular class of shepherds. 

 The most improved flocks in the United States 

 are to be found in Vermont and New York. Ac- 

 cording to calculations as accurate as they could 

 well be made, there are 20,000,000 sheep, of all 

 kinds, in the United States. The successful intro- 

 duction of the Merino at the cape of Good Hope, 

 New South Wales, &c., has proved that it will 

 thrive wherever it receives proper care. In hot 

 climates, however, particular attention is required 

 to prevent the wool from degenerating. The 

 sheep must not be exposed too much to the sun, 

 nor to the dew. See Wool. 



SHEER ; the longitudinal curve of a ship's decks 

 or sides. 



SHEET; a rope fastened to one or both the 

 lower corners of a sail, to extend and retain it in a 

 particular situation. 



SHEFFIELD ; a large manufacturing town of 

 England, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, is situ- 

 ated at the confluence of the rivers Sheaf and 

 Don, 36 miles south of Leeds, and 162 north-west 

 of London. The streets are regular, the houses 

 well built, mostly of brick, but the smoke of the 

 manufactories tends to give the town a sombre ap- 

 pearance. The public buildings are not remarkable 

 for beauty. The principal are the four churches be- 

 longing to the establishment, the town-hall, culh r,~'- 

 hall, the general infirmary, the assembly-room, the 

 music-hall, and the theatre. The town contains, 

 besides, seven meeting houses for dissenters. Shef- 

 field has been long noted for its manufactures of 

 hardware, which comprise two great divisions, viz. 

 those of cutlery and plated goods. The latter 

 manufactures are wholly confined within the town; 

 but those of cutlery goods are also carried on in all 

 the villages and hamlets in the neighbourhood, to 

 the distance of seven miles. Besides these manu - 

 factures, there are in the town and its vicinity 

 several extensive fonnderies for iron. For several 

 centuries, its trade was inconsiderable, consisting 

 almost entirely of sheath-knives, scissors, sickles, 

 and scythes : but since 1750, the town has ad vanced 

 rapidly in population and wealth. The origin ol 

 Sheffield is unknown; it was formerly distinguished 

 for its castle, supposed to have been built during the 

 reign of Henry III. The population, in 1821, was 

 42,15" ; in 1841, 109,597- 



SHEFFIELD, JOHN, duke of Buckingham, a no- 

 bleman of some note as a wit and a statesman, born 

 in 1649, was the son of the earl of Mulgrave, to 

 whose title he succeeded in 1658. At the age of 

 seventeen, he engaged as a volunteer in the first 

 Dutch war, on his return, by the union of wit and 

 spirit so agreeable to Charles II. he became a great 

 favourite at court. On the accession of James II. 

 he was made lord chamberlain ; and his attachment 

 to that sovereign induced him to take a seat in the 

 ecclesiastical commission, and practise other com- 

 pliances, though he opposed many of the counsels 

 which brought ruin on his master. At the revolu- 

 tion he took the part of an anti-courtier', but in 

 1694, became member of the cabinet. On the ac- 

 cession of Anne, to whom he is said once to have 

 been a suitor, he was advanced to the dukedom of 

 Buckingham ; but jealousy of the duke of Marlbo- 

 rough drove him from office, until the change of 

 1710, when he was made first steward of the house- 

 hold, and then president of the council, under the 

 administration of Harley. After the death of Anne, 

 he employed his time chiefly in literary pursuits, 

 until his death in 1720. His literary fame was 

 mainly assisted by his rank and influence in his own 

 day. In his Essay on Satire, he was supposed to 

 have been assisted by Dryden ; and few of his other 

 pieces merit attention. His widow published a 

 splendid edition of his works in 1723, in two vols. 

 quarto ; the first of which contained his poems upon 

 various subjects, and the latter his historical me- 

 moirs, character, speeches, and essays. 



SHEHERAZADE. See Arabian Nights. 



SHEIK, OR SCHEIKH (Arabic) ; that is to say, 

 the elder v eldest. The chief of the Arabic tribes 

 or hordes are called by this name. They are very 

 proud of their long line of noble ancestors, espe- 

 cially the leaders of the Bedouins. Some of them 

 also take the title of emir, without belonging to the 



