454 History of the Author's 



filaments, and gently pass over the tender intermediate parts. Nothing, indeed, would 

 be more easy than to demonstrate, that such a selection could not only never produce 

 a proper pile, b^it that it must absolutely destroy the very substance of the cloth. 

 There can be no doubt that, by the operation of teazing, the filament is irregularly 

 broken in various parts, and that these ends, thus drawn out, are reduced to a 

 regular length, and disposed in uniform order, by the shearing and dressing, so as 

 to give that smooth and even face, which we see in our best cloths. To this pur- 

 pose a certain length of filament must probably contribute. 



But, be the causes which I have suggested just or not, it is proved, by the 

 unerring test of experience, that clean Merino-Ryeland wool, of proper fineness, 

 suffers less waste in the fabric than the native Spanish of commerce, and therefore 

 is, weight for weight, more profitable to the manufacturer. 



After these calculations, it may reasonably be asked,' at what price I have 

 actually sold my wool. To this question I find it difficult to give a precise 

 answer. My flock, as I have before stated, being made up of sheep of diiTerent 

 degrees of fineness, must h^ve produced fleeces very different in value, and there- 

 fore in price. That which was best, and equal or superior to the Spanish, I have 

 never sold at all in the state of wool ; but have had it manufactured into cloth or 

 casimir, which I have either used in my family, given away to my friends, or sold 

 to the draper. Were I to state at what price I have sold these articles, and what 

 they cost me in the manufacture, however simple the calculation may appear, I can 

 assure the common reader that the tale would afford him little information. I 

 have no wish to disclose any secrets of the trade, which I may have learned from 

 the liberal communications of those who profess it; but the manufacturer will gain 

 suff.cient knowledge when I inform him, that, in 1804, I sold the piece of blue 

 broad-cloth already described for 24s. per yard ; and, at the same time, a piece of 

 thin casimir, made of somewhat inferior wool, at 7s. 3d. per yard, to the same 

 draper, both ready money, and without deduction of length : and I may add, that 

 ' for the whole piece of blue cloth. No. 3, now exhibited to the Board, I have by 

 several persons in the trade been offered 30s. per yard. I do not say that this could 

 be considered as the current price to the manufacturer for goods of the same value 

 in the common course of commerce ; some allowance should, doubtless, be made 

 for the novelty of the object ; but these cloths would not have excited curiosity, if 

 they had not possessed uncommon merit; and any manufacturer will see that, after 



