106 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH BANKS 



the breed, but who have not yet obtained a sufficient 

 increase to be able to supply the wants of their neigh- 

 bours who wish to improve their British wools by the 

 aid of this valuable cross. Letters addressed to Sir 

 Joseph Banks, Soho Square, London, will be duly attended 

 to. He requests to be correctly informed of the actual 

 number of pure merino ewes, ewe tegs, and ewe lambs, 

 each applicant is now in possession of, and of the source 

 from whence the breed was originally procured. 



" Sir Joseph Banks will be thankful to gentlemen who 

 will inform him what was the average weight of the 

 pure merino fleeces of the clips of 1808 and 1809, and 

 what price per pound they were sold for, with the name 

 of the purchaser." 



In the spring of 1809 there was another immense deal 

 in sheep which became of much interest to Banks and the 

 leading breeders of the country. 



Mr. Cochrane Johnstone wrote from Seville reporting 

 that he had just bought " the finest flock of merino 

 sheep that ever existed," twelve thousand in number, 

 recently the property of a Spanish nobleman, an adherent 

 of Bonaparte, and probably a sufferer in his cause. 

 Both Sir John Sinclair and Sir Joseph Banks were com- 

 municated with. The difficult question of transport to 

 England was the first ; a second one was how to deal 

 with them when they arrived. He said to Banks, " This 

 is a great national object, as great a one as driving the 

 French out of Spain. . . . The King has to thank me for 

 getting four thousand of them. I have got eight thousand 

 by paying for them." A very good speculation if they 

 could have been carefully got to this country and fed 

 properly. As the matter stood, it was like presenting a 

 schoolmaster with twelve thousand peg-tops. 



Sir Joseph wrote to Lord Bathurst, asking what was 

 to be done. Could he get an order from the Treasury 



