WOOL. 



N.B — The average fleece of England, ' 

 nearly 



Do. fhort wool 



Do. Ion? wool 



Do. " • ^ 



England 



ftock per acre in 



':} 



il 

 il 



-■} 



lbs. 



4 



3 



7 



4 

 lo 



Do. . • do. long wool 



Do. ■ — do. fhort wool 



Do. produce per acre 



long fleece wool - 



Do. do. fliort do. 



Do. do. long fl<in wool 



Do. do. fliort do. 



Do. . do. flfin wool of) 



the kingdom, nearly - -J 



?°fli. 



5 

 5 



4 



The wool of Scotland may, perhaps, be efl;imated at 

 70,000 packs, of which the greater part, particularly that 

 grown in the Highlands, is of the very coarfeft: kind. Of 

 the quantity of wool grown in Ireland, we can form no cor- 

 rect eftimate, but it cannot be great. From the returns at 

 the Cuft;om-houfe, it appears that the quantity of wool im- 

 ported from Ireland and the IfleofManin 1816 amounted to 

 about 2600 packs ; whilfl.the value of woollens imported from 

 England was upwards of 500,000/. fterhng. The woollen 

 and worfted manufaftures in Ireland are no where on an exten- 

 five fcale ; perhaps 60,000 packs are the full amount of the 

 wool annually fliorn in Ireland : this was the amount fl;ated 

 about a century fince. 



The quantity of wool imported into England may be 

 feen from the following return at the Cuftom-houfe for the 

 year 181 7, amounting to 'about thirty thoufand packs. 

 The qualities we have annexed in the lall column. 



An Account of the Quantity of Sheep and Lamb's Wool im- 

 ported into Great Britain, in the Year ending 5th January 

 1817; dillinguifliing the Countries from whence imported. 



Vol. XXXVIII. 



The whole of the imported wool, with fcarcely an ex- 

 ception, is worked on the card, none of it ^I'ng fuited for 

 the comb. The coarfer kinds are principally employed 

 for carpets, &c. ; and the fine from Spain, Germany, Por- 

 tugal, and France, fupply our manufaftures of fup'erfine 

 broad cloths, cafiimcrcs, &c. So large a portion being of 

 the finer kinds, the total value cannot be lefs than one 

 million and a half pounds fterling. 



Wool of Neiv Holland. — The annual value and amount of 

 the fine wool imported into England for our own manufac- 

 tures being fo great, we muft furely applaud the meritorious 

 exertions of thofe who attempt to fupply the demand with 

 the produce of our own country, or of our dependent colo- 

 nies, and more particularly if they can raife this fupply from 

 parts where no wool was before grown. In this view, it can- 

 not fail to be highly intercfting to learn, that the exertions 

 of one enlightened agriculturift have been eminently fuccefs- 

 ful in fpreading over an iinnienfe region dependent on Eng- 

 land the very fineft-woolled flieep, where the foil had never 

 before yielded any produce ferviceable to civilized man. 



John Macarthur, efq. defcended from an ancient family 

 in Argylefliire, captain in a regiment then commanded by 

 general Grofe, went to New Holland in 1789, Fortunately 

 for the future profperity of the colony, his aftive fpirit of 

 inquiry and enterprifc led him to direft his attention to the 

 natural advantages which the foil and climate prefented to 

 the agriculturift, and having by purchafe and grants ob- 

 tained a confiderable traft of country, he quitted the fervice 

 in 1793, ^"'^ commenced his farming operations. His ftock 

 at firft confifted only of a few oxen and thirty Bengal ewes 

 growing a coarfe kind of wool or hair. About the year 

 1795, he obtained from captain Kent, of the Royal Navy, 

 one Merino ram and two ewes, purchafed from the Dutch 

 governor of the Cape of Good Hope. With thefe he 

 began to crofs his coarfe-haired flieep, and to feleft the 

 fineft-woolled progeny to breed from. Having occafion to 

 return to England in 1802, he brought over fpecimens of 

 his wool, which were fliewn to a body of the clothiers from 

 the weft of England, then in London on public bufinefs, 

 who were fo fenfible of the advantages which might refult 

 from encouraging the growth of fine wool in the colony 

 that they prefented a petition to the privy council, by whom 

 Mr. Macarthur was examined. His plans being approved^ 

 the privy council recommended the fecretary of ftate for the 

 colonies to give him an additional grant of land, in a traft of 

 country, from itsfertility, called the cow-paftures,forming part 

 of Camden county. On his return he took with him three 

 Merino rams and two ewes, purchafed from his majefty's 

 flocks ; and thus encouraged, he proceeded with rapid fteps 

 in the increafe and improvement of his flocks, the climate 

 being every way fuited to fecure the healthy condition of the 

 flieep, and preferve the finenefs of the wool. 



The numbers increafe four-fold every five years, fo that 

 his flocks already amounted to about four thoufand flieep and 

 lambs, including the fine and mixed breeds, when the unfortu- 

 nate difputes with governor Blight, and the fubfequent arreft 

 of the latter, obhged Mr. Macarthur once more to return to 

 England, and in fome degree interrupted the progrefs of im- 

 provement. In 1 8 17 his flocks had increafed to about feven 

 thoufand, and the wool which has been fent to this country 

 at different times, is become an important fource of profit, 

 the better fort being equal to the beft Merino piles from 

 Spain or Saxony. What we have feen more nearly re- 

 fembles the latter, and were they both in the fame ftate of 

 cleannefs, the moft experienced eye could not difcern any 

 difference between them in finenefs of the hair, length of 

 ftaple, foundnefs, colour, or other properties. 



4L The 



