44 FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



Circumstances Affecting their Success. 



The earlier importations of Merinos into the United 

 States, as has been already remarked, attracted but 

 little public notice. The woolen cloths then made in 

 the country were mostly spun and woven in families. 

 The fine Merino wool was as little adapted to the 

 instruments employed, as was so valuable a material 

 to the cheap, common fabrics worn by our people. 

 Both Livingston and Humphreys, however, patrioti- 

 cally set the example of attempting fine cloth manu- 

 factures, with the new wool ; and the former, with his 

 usual energy as a public improver, made and published 

 the results of investigations and experiments on the 

 subject, which were soon to prove of the highest value. 



When the great warlike struggle then shaking 

 Europe led, in 180T, to maritime regulations the 

 English Orders in Council and the French Milan 

 decree which converted American commerce into 

 the mere prey of the belligerents, our government 

 made an effort to save it by laying an embargo 

 (Dec. 22d) which entirely shut our shipping off from 

 the ocean. This was succeeded by the non-intercourse 

 law, which prevented trade with England and France. 

 France repealed her obnoxious decrees, and trade was 

 restored with her, but the continued attitude of Eng- 

 land rendered commerce with her neighbor precarious. 

 A British outrage on an American national vessel 

 (the Chesapeake) early in 1811, forced our country to 

 begin preparations for war. This was declared in 

 1812, and continued until 1815. 



Thus for a period of about eight years, our com- 

 merce was" virtually suspended with those nations which 



