WOOL. 



the fineft kinds are much ufed for (lockings made of 

 yarn from carded wool. In the fpring, when the wool on 

 the (kins has acquired a confiderable length, it is thrown 

 into combing forts; the finer kinds are ufed for knitting 

 hofiery yarn, and the coarfer for hard yarn for the warps 

 of ferges and other goods, having a warp of combed and a 

 weft of carded wool. The value of (Icin-wool is feldom 

 equal to that of fleece-wool of tlie fame degree of length 

 and finenefs, owing to the felting property being injured, 

 which renders it more unfit for the mamifafture of woollen 

 cloth. 



Lamb's Wool. — The wool of the lamb is, with certam 

 exceptions, fofter than that of (heep's-wool, from the fame 

 flocks. It poflfeffes the property of felting in a remarkable 

 degree, and on this account is principally manufaftured into 

 hats, except (liin lamb's-wool, which lofing its felting pro- 

 perty in a great degree, is employed in the manufafture of 

 flannels and woollen yarn for lamb's-wool hofiery. In the 

 northern parts of Europe, the lambs of fome of the breeds 

 of (heep poffefs a fleece fo dehcately foft, that it con- 

 ftitutes a mod valuable fur, being dre{red on the flcin, and 

 ufed as a codly article of attire. According to Pallas, the 

 inhabitants of the Ukrain and Podoli, as foon as the lamb is 

 dropped, (which comes into the world with a pretty wavy 

 flcin, even without the alTiftance of art,) to augment its 

 beauty, and make it bring a higher price, few it up in a 

 fort of coarfe linen fliirt, fo as to keep up a conftant gentle 

 prelTure on the wool, pouring warm water over it every day 

 to make it foft and fleek ; only letting out the bandage a 

 little from time to time as the animal increafes in fize, but 

 ilill keeping it tight enough to effeft their purpofe, which 

 is to lay the nvool in beautiful glody ringlets, and thereby 

 produce a delicate fpecies of fur in great requeft for lining 

 clothes and morning-gowns. By this treatment, the (laple of 

 the fine foft wool which rifes in the infancy of the lamb takes a 

 handfome arrangement ; and the animal is killed younger or 

 older according to the fpecies of fur intended to be pro- 

 duced ; from a (hort glofly nap, like fatin, only fit from its 

 thinnefs for the purpofe mentioned above, to a warm thick 

 fur for a winter great-coat. The fird of thefe furs in efti- 

 mation and price is a fine black, that looks like filk dama(Ic ; 

 an inferior black fur comes next, much thicker, ufed for 

 pdiffes, or Jhubes, as the upper winter garb worn out of doors 

 is called ; and the lead in edimation is the whiteft, except it 

 lie of a very pure colour and filky appearance, where it is a 

 rival to the fird ; efpecially for night-gowns, a very common 

 drefs both morning and evening amongd the Ruffians ; par- 

 ticularly in the interior parts of the empire. 



The Boucharian (heep, as defcribed by Pallas, grows a com- 

 paft, foft, and eladic wool, which is elegantly formed into 

 frizzled ringlets. In the lamb, the wool is formed into 

 delicate little circular waves, as if preiTed clofe to the (liin 

 by art ; but when taken from the mother, or killed imme- 

 diately after birth, they are dill more beautiful, and often 

 elegantly marbled with feathered waves, like filk damadc. 

 Thefe three furs are the fined and mod precious of the kind 

 known to Europe and the Ead ; they are brought to us by 

 the Boucharian Tartars and Perfians, who fell them dear. 

 The mod prized are, the blue, the black, and the filver grey ; 

 but of the unborn lamb-Jilns, as the fine gloffy thin furs are 

 called, which fo much refemble filk damafk, the fine black 

 is deared and mod eiteemed. To obtain thefe valuable furs, 

 the Boucharian Tartars purchafe whole flocks of male lambs 

 jud dropped from their mothers : as to kill a female till pad 

 the age of breeding is held as a kind of crime by all Tartar 

 hordes ; fuch is their reverence for an animal which condi- 

 tutes their greateft; riches, and the propagation and care of 



which are the great bufinefa of their lives ; fo that all the fiir 

 we fee of this fpecies fold by the Tartars are from young 

 rams. The Boucharians are of opinion, that art is nece(rary 

 to preferve thefe furs in their greated beauty ; and under 

 that idea, keep the lambs under fhades, &c. during the me- 

 ridian ardour of the fun ; but Dr. Pallas has reafon to think, 

 that thefe precautions are ufelefs, as he obferved that the 

 fame variety of (heep produced the fame fine hues equal in 

 every refpeft, without any fort of care, in the hands of the 

 Kirguite Tartars. 



It is very remarkable that the lamb's-wool, in many of the 

 Merino flocks, is coarfer than the (heep's-wool. In fome 

 of the flocks, the lambs are at fird covered with coarfe 

 hair, which falls off afterwards, and they produce the fineft 

 wool. 



Wool from other animals befides the fheep is employed 

 in manufaftures, and fpun and woven into fabrics of diflferent 

 kinds, either unmixed or mixed with (heep's-wool. The 

 goats of Thibet, which grow the fine (hawl wool, produce 

 it as a fine down at the bottom of the long coarfe hair, with 

 which the animals are covered. Many of the common goats 

 in Europe grow a fimilar down, which, by cultivation, 

 might become a valuable article of commerce. It is not, 

 however, yet clearly afcertained, whether the fliawls and 

 (hawl cloth of India are all manufaftured from goat's-wool ; 

 part of it appears to be made from (heep's-wool peculiarly 

 foft and fine. The Angora goat grows a hair extremely 

 fine and filky, which is much ufed in fome of the French 

 worded goods mixed with filk. This goat is properly a 

 long-woolled animal. Dr. Anderfon fays, that the Angora 

 goat will profper and preferve its peculiarities in France 

 and Sweden. The wool of the vicunna, called Vigonia wool, 

 is generally of a reddifli-fawn colour; it is pecuharly foft and 

 filky, but intermixed with long coarfe hairs, which are very 

 difficult to feparate. ( See Vicunna. ) From the lama and 

 pacos of Peru a dronger and longer dapled wool is obtained, 

 which is fometimes white. Under a liberal government 

 which protefted and encouraged commerce, we have no 

 doubt the fleeces of thefe animals might be greatly improved, 

 and would become an article of great value. The wool 

 from the yak of Tartary, and the muflc ox of Hudfon's bay, 

 has yet received little attention. We have feen dockings 

 made of the latter, and which are worn in that country ; 

 the wool was foft but not fine, and much intermixed with 

 long coarfe hairs. 



The quantity of (heep's-wool annually grown in England 

 and Wales was edimated, by perfons in the wool trade 

 examined before the houfe of commons in the year 1 800, at 

 fix hundred thoufand packs. Mr. Luccock, in his Treatife 

 on Wool, feems to confider this edimate as greatly exceed- 

 ing the real amount, and has given an edimate founded on 

 the fuppofed extent of furface padured by (heep, and the 

 quantity of fheep per acre in each county. This table we 

 fubjoin, as the only attempt that we know of to determine 

 the queftion on certain data ; though we confider it only 

 as an approximation to truth, and are inclined to believe 

 that the quantity is under the real amount. Such is alfo 

 the opinion of the mod intelligent perfons in the wool 

 trade, whom we have had an opportunity of confulting. 



From this table, it will appear that the total amount, in- 

 cluding /liin-wool and lamb's-wool, is fomewhat fliort of 

 four hundred thoufand packs, which is probably one-fourth 

 below the true quantity, could it be afcertained. Mr. 

 Luccock is inclined to beheve that the flocks of (heep in 

 England and Wales are not fo numerous as formerly, but 

 he fays thofe of Ireland and Scotland are rapidly in- 

 creafing. Evpn in England and Wales, he fays, we have 



more 



