WOOL. 



101 



table, formed by order of the lords' committee o 

 1828, and published in their report on the woo 

 duty question, the quantity produced, on an average 

 of years, in England, is 111,160,560 pounds: the 

 importation was, in 1828, 29,122,447 pounds, mak- 

 ing a total of 140,283,007 pounds for every year's 

 consumption and exports in the shape of manufac- 

 tured goods. In Germany, the fine wool producet 

 has surprisingly increased since 1815, or since peace 

 took place. We have spoken of the history 01 

 this branch of industry, in Germany, in the article 

 Sheep. We only add, that, from papers laid before 

 the British parliament, it appears, that for the year 

 ending January 5, 1829, there were imported from 

 Germany 23,110,822 pounds of wool, which, calcu- 

 lated at an average of Is. 6d. per pound, makes a 

 return, from England alone, of 1,733,311, 13s. 

 Admitting only one half more for the wool exported 

 to France, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland and 

 Switzerland, and assuming that the internal manu- 

 factures of Germany consume one half of the wool 

 produced, which is short of the truth, the result 

 will give 5,199,934, 19s. of annual value, created 

 by the growth of wool now raised, instead of the 

 worthless hair produced upon the old indigenous 

 sheep of Germany, which was scarcely in sufficient 

 quantity to supply the peasantry with worsted pet- 

 ticoats and stockings. It is not only in Saxony 

 that fine wool is raised : in Silesia, Moravia, Aus- 

 tria Proper, Bohemia, also in Hungary, &c., noble 

 flocks have sprung up. Until the elector of Saxony 

 received a present of a small Merino flock from the 

 king of Spain, about thirty years since, the only fine 

 wool known was the Spanish wool, which at that 

 time was supplied to England, France and the 

 Netherlands for their fine cloth manufactures. Un- 

 fortunately for the Spanish flock-masters, the cap- 

 tains of Napoleon's armies which invaded Spain, 

 drove several of the finest flocks into France ; and 

 many others were killed or dispersed by the various 

 parties which ravaged that country during the con- 

 test for its dominion. So completely were they 

 destroyed, and the original system of keeping the 

 sheep lost, in the convulsions of that period, that 

 the wool has degenerated into a quality not worth 

 more thati one third of that of the same stock of 

 sheep in Germany. The following table, taken 

 from the English custom-house returns of imports, 

 will show the effects of this transfer of the Merino 

 breed from Spain to Germany : 



Imported from in 1800. 1814. 1827. 



Germany, 421,350 3,595,146 22,00^198 pounds 



Spain and Portugal, 7,794,758 9,234,991 4,349,643 



In 1800, the ports of both countries were open to 

 English commerce, as well as at the two latter 

 periods; so that, in fact, the progressive increase 

 of importations from Germany, and the decrease 

 from Spain, are the best possible tests of the revo- 

 lution which has taken place in the relative posi- 

 tion of these two countries as respects the wool 

 cultivation. A table below shows the different 

 prices. But not Germany only has become a rival 

 of Spain : two distant colonies of England may 

 soon vie with both New South Wales and Van 

 Diemen's Land. In the year 1795, a small flock 

 of sheep, not exceeding one dozen, was carried to 

 the upper colony of New South Wales, from the 

 cape of Good Hope. From these sprung the vast 

 flocks which now exist there. The quantity of 

 wool yielded for a long time was too small to form 

 a shipment to England ; but, in 1804, some Meri- 

 nos, purchased from the king's flock at Windsor, 



were sent out ; and such a prodigious increase of 

 sheep took place, that whilst, in 1806, only 245 

 pounds of wool were imported into England from 

 New South Wales, in 1837, 4,606,915 pounds were 

 imported from that colony, and 2,453,610 pounds 

 from Van Diemen's Land, making in all 7,060,525. 

 Saxony sheep have also been imported into the 

 colony, direct from Germany, and such is the influ- 

 ence of climate or herbage, or both, that they thrive 

 amazingly, and every year seems to add to the fine- 

 ness of the wool. It is thought, that, in a short 

 time, Britain will derive the whole of her supplies 

 of foreign wool from this part of the globe. Sheep- 

 farming now constitutes the chief employment and 

 dependence of the New South Wales colonist. 

 Some possess 15,000 or 20,000 sheep. These are 

 divided into separate flocks, more or less numerous, 

 according to the nature of the country and the pas- 

 ture. The work of the shepherd is very severe, 

 especially in the more sterile parts of the colony. 



The value of the various kinds of wools of the 

 different countries in the London market, is, 



Germany. i. d. t. d. 



r 1st and 2d. 

 Saxony I Electoral, per Ib. 



and < Prima, 

 Silesia, | Secunda, 



ITertia, . .. 

 ctor, 

 na, . .. 



ertia, . 

 Lambs'," ". 

 Pieces, . . ... 



Fribs 



Fleeces, . ... 



Spanish, Leonesa, . 

 Segovia, . ... 



Soriana, . . 

 Caceres, ." 



Seville, 

 Portugal, 

 Lambs', 



Australian, best, . ... 



2d and inferior, . 

 Lambs', . ... 



Van Diemen's Land, 

 Greasy and inferior, 

 Clean and better, 

 Eng. Merino, washed, 



In the grease, 

 South Down, 

 Coats* wool, Turkey, 



According to a work by M. Ternaux, Paris, 1827> 

 on sheep-breeding and the wool trade in France, 

 the Spanish wool was, forty years ago, the dearest. 

 Since 1794, but particularly since 1804, its price 

 has sunk considerably, whilst that of Saxon wool 

 has risen. In 1804, a kilogramme of the best 

 Spanish wool cost twenty-four francs; in 1827, only 

 nine francs ; the best French wool at the first 

 period, eighteen francs, at present, twenty francs ; 

 and Saxon electoral wool, at the first period, six- 

 teen francs, at present, thirty-four francs. 



An account of the quantity of Sheep and Lambs' Wool im- 

 ported into and exported from the United Kingdom in the 

 yean 1835 and 1836 ; alto an account of the British Woollen 

 Manufacture* exported in each of the tame yean: 



1839. 1836. 



Sheep and Lambs' Wool Imported 42,209,949 Ibs. 64,272,390 Ibs. 



Foreign Sheep and Lambs Wool 

 re-exported . . 4,101,700 .. 613,707 .. 



Foreign Sheep and Lambs' Wool \ , ,,, m . - . . ._ 



remaining under Bond Dec. 31st/ 2 ' 846 ' 014 " M".** 



British Sheep and Lambs' Wool 

 exported . . 4,642,604 



Woollen and Worsted Yarn, &c. 

 exported ... 2 357,336 



Value of British Woollen Manu- 

 factures exported . 6,840,511 



As England is the great woollen mart the 

 following table of exports and imports will afford 

 some idea of the relative production of wool in the 

 various countries of the world. 



3,942,407 



2,546,177 



7,639353 



