A. D. 1790. 205 



1 58 1, when the exportation of it was ftricTcIy prohibited by parhament. 

 \_Ans, yac.VI, c. 113.] It is alfo worthy of notice, that i\\ Camden's 

 time the wool of Leominfter was the glory of Hereford-fhire (as it is at 

 this day) and that it was preferred all-over Europe to every other wool, 

 except the Apulian and Tarentine. [Briiatuiia, p. 472, ed. 1607.] The 

 Spanifh is not even mentioned by him. 



As it thus plainly appears, that Spanifh wool has not attained the fu- 

 periority over other European wools till lately *, and that Britifh wool 

 was univerfally efteemed the very bed in Europe as late as the begin- 

 ning of the feventeenth century f, it may be afked, what has now be- 

 come of the breed of the fheep, which produced wool of fuch fuperior 

 quality ? The anfwer mufl be, that they have evidently degenerated : 

 and it is the opinion of fome who have ftudied the fubjeit, that the 

 laws which prevent the exportation of wool, though intended for the 

 benefit of the manufadurer, have, by turning the attention of the farm- 

 er to the weight of carcafe rather than the quality of wool, been the 

 real caufe of the degeneracy of the Iheep, and coniequently of the im- 

 portation of fine wool. The Hereford-fliire breed ft^ill retain a confider- 

 able degree of that fuperiority of wool, for which their progenitors were 

 celebrated by a poet quoted by Henry of fiuntingdon [/! 171 a] and 

 afterwards by Camden ; and th^y are probably the Icaft adulterated re- 

 mains of the antient ftock of Britifh flieep, now exifi:ing in the main 

 land of Britain. But their wool is greatly inferior to that of the fine- 

 Avooled fheep of Shetand, which, by the advantage of their remote in- 

 fular fitnation, have perhaps remained uncontaminated by any mixture 

 with inferior breeds, and are apparently the mofl: genuine offspring of 

 the antient Britifh race of fine-wooled fheep now exifting. 



About this time many patriot c gentlemen in different parts of the 

 kingdom, imprelTed with a due fenfe of the great importance of a nat- 

 ive flock of fine wool, turned their attention to the improvement of the 

 breed of fine-wooled fhetp. 



At an anniverfary meeting of the Bath fociety for the encouragement 

 of agriculture, arts, manufa dares, and commerce, which was more r'uily 

 attended than ufual, a number of fheep of various kinds were infperted 

 by comp.'^'tent judges with a view to alcertain, which is the moft advant- 

 ageous breed for general ftock in refped to carcaie and wool : and the 

 fmall-boned Leicefler, and the South-down, breeds were declared the 

 rnoff profitable. 



The attention of the Highland fociety was more efpecially directed 

 to the recovery of the fuperior quality of the wool ; an objed, which 



* The Spaniards themfelves afciibe the im- ation of Englifh fneep to Spain, fee above, V. i, ;.p. 



pi-ovemeiit of their wool to a Itock of rams obtain- 539, 680. 



ed from the A^abs of Africa by Cardinal Ximenes -j- In the year 1622 we find King James corn- 

 in tlic early p^rt of tne lixteenth century. \_Camp' plaining, that the wool of England had -"aliei. -iff 

 bell's Pol. furvey, ^. ii, /i. 151.] For the export- from its wonted value. \_Fadcra, P'.TiyW, p. ^11.'] 



