136 Some LETTERS OF Patrick MILLER. 
others, and purchased some Spanish sheep. The Spanish 
ram* at once died :— 
‘“ Indeed from the beginning he appeared diseased. 
He never walked like a sound sheep.’ 
Indeed in his first purchases of sheep he seems to have been 
let in badly :— 
‘Mr Cunynghame* has been with me. He says he 
does not think we have about 4 lambs of the Spanish breed. 
Two of the Spanish ewes have not lambs. . . . The 
death of one of the Spanish sheep has cooled my ardour 
something, more especially that all my people think the 
animal was not sound when delivered to my servant. I 
have been unfortunate in another respect. The man who 
bought me the Cheviot and Culley’s breed*4 from Northum- 
berland, thought fit to bring also a score from Eskdale 
Muir. This last kind has had a scab and violent itching, 
which has occasioned them, by rubbing, to tear off the wool. 
Some of them have been, you may say, naked during the 
severe colds, and sundry’s have died. But what is worse, 
I fear the disease is infectious, and that it will communicate 
to all my stock. Sir Joseph Banks, I think, discovered a 
remedy for this disease. Sir John Sinclair will know. 
Apply to him for advice, and send me the receipt. Tell him 
that the first good day I will go through my parks and make 
out an account of my sheep and produce, which I will send 
him. ’’4 
But his troubles with sheep were not yet over. At the 
following lambing his dogs got out and ““ destroyed the few 
lambs I had got.’ By that time his garden was well ad- 
vanced, and the boggy land near the house had been turned 
into a loch, so it was fitting to find him sending for melon 
and celery seed and a couple of female swans.*” A two-oared 
boat, modelled on a London wherry, was added.*® All this 
was very costly, and in 1796 he complains of difficulty’? 
‘‘ not only to carry on the necessary improvements on 
the estate, but to pay off 41400 and odds, the sum I was 
obliged to keep for making good the late Mrs Maxwell of 
Dalswinton’s jointure,’’5 
