82 EUROPEAN SHEEP. 



"In the year 1764, the Elector of Saxony obtained, by 

 special negotiation through his ambassador, a grant from the 

 King of Spain, for the purchase of one hundred ewes and 

 one hundred rams, and a few surplus ones to keep that num- 

 ber good in case any should die during the passage. Ac- 

 cordingly one hundred and nineteen ewes and one hundred 

 and ten rams were selected, principally from the Escurial 

 flocks, then the king's private property, under the care and 

 management of the monks belonging to the monastery of 

 that name, and which were considered the finest sheep in 

 the kingdom. They were shipped at Cadiz, in the month 

 of May, 1765, accompanied by two Spaniards to take care 

 of them. Five rams and three ewes died on the. passage ; 

 the remainder arrived safely at the Elector's private domain 

 at Stolpen. The Spanish shepherds remained with, and 

 took care of the flock till the middle of the following year, 

 when they took their departure for Spain. During the time, 

 however, they remained in Saxony, they instructed Saxon 

 shepherds in the care and management of sheep. 



" In order the better to make this valuable acquisition ben- 

 efit the country as much as possible, the Elector appointed a 

 commission, to superintend and direct the general concerns 

 of the sheep establishment, whose particular duty it was 

 made, to spread all the information they could obtain on the 

 care and management of sheep before the public, and who 

 were especially instructed to dispose of the young rams at 

 low prices, in order to induce the sheep-owners to improve 

 their flocks. The tenants of the government domains were 

 particularly favored, by giving them the preference in the 

 purchase (which is kept up till this day), while every possi- 

 ble care was taken to induce farmers generally to improve 

 their breed of sheep throughout the Electorate. It was fur- 

 ther required of the said commission to make a detailed re- 

 port to the government, annually, on the condition of the 

 sheep establishment, and at the same time to submit a list 

 of the persons who had received sheep from the national 

 flock. 



" During the first years these valuable animals found many 

 opponents, and the improvement of the Spanish crop was 

 very slow, mainly on account of the common prejudice of 

 the farmers, which was heightened when the scab broke out 

 among them, but afterwards they became convinced of their 

 value, and the improvement was more rapid. But as most 



