430 Dr. Parry's Essay on the Nature^ Produce, Origin, 



his relation of the plague in 1605, or to his admirable romance qF Robinson 

 Crusoe. I have not been able to discover in any contemporary writer, or public 

 record, a syllable of any importation, distribution, or regulation of Spanish sheep 

 in the reigns of Henry VIII. Elizabeth, or any other of our monarchs.* 



A few Spanish sheep have been, in modern limes, imported into this island. It 

 •would be difficult to ascertain the dates of these small importations; but it is cer- 

 tainly much to be regretted that the Society in the Highlands of Scotland, which 

 had paid great attention to this object, and had obtained a great number, and many 

 varieties, of sheep, with every prospect of important success, should so soon have 

 abandoned its pursuit, and that its flocks should have been so unprofitably 

 dispersed. 



About the same period, our gracious Sovereign seems to have obtained some 

 Merino sheep ; but it was not till the year 1 792, that he made the important acquisi. 

 tion of 5 rams and 35 ewes, from the flock of the Countess del Campo Alange, 

 which is called Negrette. Of these sheep, his Majesty, during several successive 

 years, was pleased to distribute various rams and ewes to many noblemen and 

 gentlemen, who occupied their own lands, but who do not seem to have continued 

 the cultivation of that breed, or to have published any reports of the result of their 

 experiments. This was not, however, the case with regard to various rams gra- 

 ciously presented to the Agricultural Society of Bath, through the medium of 

 the Earl of Ailesbury and Sir Joseph Banks. These rams were carefully preserved, 

 eagerly sought for, and, as long as they lived, employed in various ways to the full 

 extent of their powers. This mode of distribution having, however, thus generally 

 failed, it was judged better to give greater scope for the exertions of more active 

 experimenters, by allowing an open sale, at a small fixed price, of some rams and 

 ewes of the Royal Merino flock. At length, it was finally resolved to promote tl e 

 same view of a general extension of the breed by a public auction, which has, 

 accordingly, been held for the two years last past at Kew. At the auction of 1 804, 

 30 rams sold for £s7'2- lox. 6d. and 14 ewes for £'122. 175. The average of the 

 rams was, therefore, £tg. is. Sd. and that of the ewes, £"8. 15s. 6d. The highest 

 price of a ram was 42 guineas, and the lowest, jTG. 155. The highest price of an 



* Such is the fidelity of the moral and philosophical Diderot, D'Alcmbert, and the other cele- 

 brated associates of Frederic the Second and Voltaire! The folio Encjclopedie is, beyond all 

 comparison, the most voluminous collection of fiibles extant. 



