AGnTCUITDRAL MUSEUM 261 



th'nk with you. lh;it the c;itdo of Europe do not de^ 

 g' nenite here, exre}>t by ncgiect vr,i\ not preserving^ 

 the races pujc — both of -hese evih wiii be remechecl b/ 

 tie emulat'on wliieh \o\u- S u-iet}' will excite 1 am 

 maeh plta^ed that you Isuve fount! the samples of 

 \vooi§ worthy the attention of the Cuille Soeiety. I 

 am persuiidetl that its qi;alify !ii;s improved under my 

 care, though the orii:inai stock uas of the lincst ti.at 

 could be procured in Europe, 'liie women, who are 

 now spinning some of it, and who f-pun the fleeces of 

 my full bred sheep hisi year, declare lh;it it is iincr and 

 better than it was ; it certainly is moi-e abundarit. I am 

 not surprised that your Merino woo! !)as not yet fou! d 

 its price. When the supply is small and irregular, the 

 manufacturers do not prepare th* machinery necessary 

 for its manipulation, and private famdies not being in the 

 habit of working it, do not know how to wash or card it. 

 The same proeess that is used for common wool, runs 

 it into knots and spoils it entirely. The first fleeces 1 

 sold was in Ifc'CG, Un- till I returned irom France in 

 1805, the sheep i sent over thi-ce years before, were ne- 

 glected, and did not increase ; it then fetched, onlv 

 one dollar for the full breii, and sixty cents for (lie 

 rest of the Hock, consisting of 3 1 and 12 bred sheep, 

 and even then I gave a ^eai-'s credit. There was 

 fhen no cartling mill at which it could be carded, 

 iSiy flock and their descendants have produced two 

 niiils with fine cards, and a third is now creetijig, and 

 niy instructions have enabled private families to wash 

 and card it vvith cotton cuids, and in consequence of 

 this, the u Oil has leaeiied the prices 1 have mentioned, 

 arid instead of a yeai's eitdit tc- the manufacturers, they 

 pay one half of tiie price down, and the residue in 

 eight months. Wiien as a matter of favour, I have spa- 

 red small quantldes to private famihes, as twenty or 

 thirty pounds^ they pay down the price, and some have 



5 Mr. Jj. Iiad sent to the Eiiitor, two samples of b;< f»U-i)lood«i Merin* r««'i wesl, -jrhi^ 

 woje exbil-jwd at tfae Citcle fkow, ia July last.- 



