APPENDIX, No. IV. ^ 



imjjarii arletes talento emnntur.^^ A talent was equal toL.2i6 

 Sterling; a high pric e for a fine-wooUe d ram. Strabo lived 

 under the reign of Augufiius, before the productions of Bri- 

 tain were well known to the Romans ; and it appears from the 

 fa£l: above ftated, that even the wool of the Coraxi was in Its 

 turn deemed Inferior to that of this ifland, for it was here that 

 tlie Roman Emperors, during their m oft luxurious sera, chofe 



to fupply themfelves with their moft fumptuous robes. 



In conformity with this idea, we jSnd that Dionyfnis Alea^ 

 andrimiSy in his treatife de fttii orbis, as quoted by HoUing- 

 flied, makes ufe of the following hyperbolical plirafe, ftrong- 

 ly expreffive of the uncommon finenefs of Britlfli wool, as 

 well as the dexterity of Brltilli fpinjlersy according to the 

 prevailing opinion of the time. " The wool of Britain (fays 

 he) Is often fpun fo fine, that it is in a manner comparable 

 to the fpider's draught *." A phrafe, which, if not ftrictly 

 juft at the time, feems to have been prophetic, as I at this 

 time produce to the Society a fpeclmen of the lingularly fine 

 woollen yarn, fpun by Mifs Ann Ives of Spalding, in Lin- 

 colnfhire, which, though ftrong, is drawn to fuch a finenefs, 

 that a pound weight of the yarn meafures no lefs than 

 168,000 yards in length, which is equal to 95 miles f. — 

 This young lady, who has fo far outdone any thing of this 

 fort that has been known, hopes to be able to make it ftill 

 finer, had (he fome of our Shetland wool. ** I think (fays 

 fhe) your Shetland wool the fofteft I ever felt, and make no 

 doubt it would fpin beautifully fine. If a fmall quantity 

 Could be got, I fliould like much to try it." The wool fhall 

 be fent ; and I hope to be able to fliow the Society fome 

 of the yarn made of it ftill nearer in finenefs " to the fpi- 

 der's 



* Hoi. Chron. of Eng. p. 221. 



f This is equal to eleven fpindlcs, wanting one and one third cuts of the 

 meafurc for yarn in the neighboarhood of Edinburgh. This yarn was fpun 

 from Englilh wool produced by a mixed breed, reared by Sir Jofeph Bank?, 

 Bart, from the fined woord Lincolnflure ewe.', improved by a Spanifh ram. 



