No. 3. 



Saxony Sheep. 



97 



the sheep on the passage, and I also shipped 

 six on my own account. I am sorry to say 

 that as many as one-third of the sheep pur- 

 chased by Kretchman — who shared profit 

 and loss in the undertaking, — were not pure 

 blooded sheep. The cargo were sold at 

 auction at Brooklyn, as 'pure-blooded elec- 

 toral Saxons,' and thus unfortunately in the 

 very outset the pure and impure became ir- 

 revocably mixed. But I feel the greatest 

 certainty that the Messrs. Searle intended 

 to import none but the pure stock — the fault 

 lay with Kretchman. In the fall of 1824, I 

 entered into an arrangement with the Messrs. 

 Searle to return to Saxony, and purchase in 

 connection with Kretchman, from 160 to 

 200 Electoral sheep. I was detained at sea 

 seven weeks, which gave rise to the belief 

 that I was shipwrecked and lost. When I 

 finally arrived, the sheep had been already 

 bought by Kretchman. On being informed 

 of what the purchase consisted, I protested 

 against takingjthem to America, and insisted 

 on a better selection, but to no purpose. A 

 quarrel ensued between us, and Kretchman 

 even went so far as to engage another to 

 take charge of the sheep on their passage. 

 My friends interposing, I was finally induced 

 to take charge of them. The number ship- 

 ped was one hundred and sixty-seven, fifteen 

 of which perished on the passage. They 

 were sold at Brighton, some of them going 

 as high as from $400 to $450. A portion of 

 this importation consisted of grade sheep, 

 which sold as high as the pure-bloods, for 

 the American purchasers could not know 

 the difference. It may be readily imagined 

 what an inducement the Brighton sale held 

 out to speculation, both in this country and 

 Saxony. The German newspapers- teemed 

 with advertisements of sheep for sale, headed 

 'Good for the American Market;' and these 

 sheep, in many instances, were actually 

 bought up for the American market at S5, 

 f8, or §ilO a head, when the pure-bloods 

 could not be purchased at from less than 

 $30 to 840. In 1836, Messrs. Searle im- 

 ported three cargoes, amounting in the ag- 

 gregate to 513 sheep. They were of about 

 the same character with their prior importa- 

 tions, in the main good, but mixed with some 

 grade sheep. On the same year a cargo of 

 221 arrived, on German account, Emil Bach, 

 of Leipsic, supercargo. A few were good 

 sheep and of pure blood ; but taken as a lot 

 they were miserable. The owners sunk 

 about $3,000. Next came a cargo of 210 

 on German account; Wasmuss and Multer, 

 owners. The whole cost of these was about 

 $1,125, in Germany. With the exception 

 of a small number, procured to make a flou- 

 rish on in their advertisements of sale, they 



were sheep having no pretensions to purity 

 of blood. In 1827, the same individuals 

 brought out another cargo. These were se- 

 lected exclusively from grade flocks of low 

 character. On the same year the Messrs. 

 Searle made their last importation, consist- 

 ing of 182 sheep. Of these I know little. 

 My friends in Germany wrote me that they 

 were like their other importations, a mixture 

 of pure and impure blooded sheep. It is 

 due, however, to the Messrs. Searle to say 

 that, as a whole, their importations were 

 much better than any other made into Bos- 

 ton. 



"I will now turn your attention to the 

 importations made into other ports. In 1825, 

 thirteen Saxons arrived in Portsmouth. They 

 were miserable creatures. In 1826, one hun- 

 dred and ninety-one sheep arrived in New 

 York, per brig William, on German account. 

 A portion of these were well descended and 

 valuable animals, the rest were grade sheep. 

 In June the same year, the brig Louisa 

 brought out one hundred and seventy-three 

 on German account. Not more than one- 

 third of them had the least pretensions to 

 purity of blood. Next we find one hundred 

 and fifty-eight shipped at Bremen, on Ger- 

 man account. Some were diseased before 

 they left Bremen, and I am happy to state 

 that twenty-two died before their arrival in 

 New York. All I intend to say of them is, 

 that they were a most curious and motley 

 mess of wretched animals. The next cargo 

 imported arrived in the brig Maria Eliza- 

 beth, under my own care. They were one 

 hundred and sixty-five in number, belonging 

 to myself and F. Gebhard, of New York. 

 These sheep cost me $65 a head, when 

 landed in New York. They sold at an 

 average of $50 a head, thus sinking about 

 $2,400 ! I need not say that they were ex- 

 clusively of pure blood. A cargo of eighty- 

 one arrived soon after, but I know nothing 

 of their quality. The next importation con- 

 sisted of one hundred eighty-four, on Ger- 

 man account, per brig Warren. With a 

 few exceptions they were pure-blooded and 

 good sheep. We next have an importation 

 of two hundred by the Bremen ship Louisa. 

 They were commonly called the 'stop sale 

 sheep.' They were of the most miserable 

 character, some of them being hardly half- 

 grade sheep. The ship Phebe Ann brought 

 one hundred and twenty sheep, of which I 

 know little; and sixty were landed at Phila- 

 delphia, with the character of which I am 

 imacquainted. Having determined to settle 

 in America, I returned to Saxony, and spent 

 the winter of 1826-7, in visiting and exam- 

 ining many flocks. I selected one hundred 

 and fifteen from the celebrated flock of Ma- 



