59 



London consumption. A great part of them are polled 

 Galloway Scots, which, in their then state, are the most 

 beautifully shaped animals that can possibly be seen ; their 

 whole carcass is evenly fed, without any patches of fat ; the 

 hind quarters of the beef, when hang-ing up in the butcher's 

 shops, have all the appearance of the finest eating beef, the 

 lean of a good dark colour, and the fat firm, and bright in 

 colour. The late Mr. Bakewell was a singular sort of man, 

 but his name will never be forgotten by sheep-breeders, for 

 his great improvement of the breed of long-woolled sheep. 

 About five-and-forty years ago, he played off an odd kind 

 of trick with Mr. Coke. He went to Holkham, when he 

 knew Mr. C. was from home, and purchased three of Mr. 

 C.'s tups, which were of the old horned, black-faced breed, 

 the only kind of sheep then kept in Norfolk ; picking out 

 the plainest, longest legged, and largest horned. When 

 persons came to see the Dishley breed of sheep, these tups 

 were previously driven out of their pasture into a confined 

 place. After the improved Leicester tups had been seen, 

 the Norfolks were exhibited. They were let out of their 

 confined place to return to their pasture; but in their way 

 to it they had to leap a great height over a leaping-bur, 

 which they performed very cleverly. Thus making Mr. 

 Coke's Norfolk sheep a capital foil for the Dishley. 



About the year 1808, the late Mr. Webb Hall and myself 

 carried on a good-humoured correspondence, in the 

 Farmer's Journal, on Merino Sheep, without knowing each 

 other's name ; he writing under the signature of " Alpha," 

 and L under that of " A Northamptonshire Farmer." He 

 was a great advocate for disseminating the breed through- 

 out the country. I thought this would be a national mis- 

 fortune ; that the consequence would be, a want of mutton; 

 that the supply would not be near equal to the demand; 

 that it was better to go on with our native breeds of sheep, 

 and import wool, than to run the risk of wanting an impor- 

 tation of mutton. Mr. Hall was a most able writer, and a 

 great contributor to the Journal, which, at that time, was 

 so well conducted, and contained so many original letters 

 on agricultural subjects, as to make it a very interesting 

 paper to those engaged in agricultural pursuits. There are 

 still several flocks of pure Merinos in this country, which 



