APPENDIX, No. IV. i9 



time in Europe : 3^, That at prefent Spanifli wool, though 

 probably no iiner than it was at the time Vv-hen it was infe- 

 rior to tliat of Britain, is now of a much finer quality thau 

 anj wool that can at prefent be bought in Britain in quan- 

 tities fufficicnt for the purpofes of n-anufactures * : /Sfth, 

 That Britain fiiil, however, poffefll-s feme remains of 

 iheep that carry very fine wool, as well of the fhort carding 



H 2 as 



* The circumftance here mentioned, that has been hinted at in feveral 

 other parts of this eflay, deferves to be particularly noticed, and the con- 

 fequences of it as to the meafure here propofcd, fpccialiy adverted to. 

 There is not any rcafon to believe that Spanifli wool is now in the fmalloll 

 <legree finer than it was at former periods, when it was of an inferior 

 ■quality to that of Britain ; and if it be now the fined of the two, it is ow- 

 'ng to the debafeuient of our wool, and not to the melioration of theirs. 

 This leads us to obferve, that the words fine and coarfe are merely rela- 

 tive terms, that denote no definite and precife ftandard of quality. The 

 wool, therefore, which in one age acquires the name oi Jinevfoo], may per- 

 haps be of a much coarfer quality than that which obtained the fame name 

 at another period. A neccffary confequcnce, hovv'-cver, of a change in this 

 refpedl will be, that Jrne clothp, which at a period when the •vcryjincjl wool 

 could be obtained in the market, will poffcfs a delicacy and foftnefs of tex- 

 ture, when compared with other kinds of goods that may be employed as 

 clothing, which they will not poffcfs at thofe times when the wool that 

 obtains the name of thi^fitiiJI, is of a coarfer pile and harder texture. This 

 ciixumflance will necefTarily tend to render woollen goods more in vogue 

 at the one period than at the other ; though this circumfi:ance will not be 

 in general adverted to. This is probably one reafon why woollen goods 

 have been in Icfs repute during the prefent century than at fomc former 

 periods. 



Another inference to be drawn from this circumftance, which it im- 

 ports us here more particularly to advert to, is, that though a parti- 

 cular kind of wool may have, for a time, occupied the liigheft place in tiic 

 market, and been deemed the finefl in the univerfe, it may, neverthelefs, 

 be indeed of fuch an inferior quality to fome other kinds of wool that 

 have been negleded, that when thcfe kinds of finer wools fhall come to 

 be reared by the attention of fome patriotic community, in fuch quantity 

 as to admit of furnifliing materials for extenfive manufadlures, they may 

 fo far excel the v/ool that was formerly fincft, as to banifh it from the 

 market, or make it hold only the fecond or third place in the fcale of 

 finenefs. 



EvcR 



