322 
TRAVELS IN 
, WOOL. 
This article is likely to become a source of colonial reveniiej 
which, till of late years, was never thought of ; and certainly 
never turned to any account, before the Deputy Paymaster & 
bills on his Majesty's Paymasters-General became so scarce,, 
and bore such high premiums, that the private merchant was 
glad to make his remittances in any kind of merchandize 
rather than paper. The wool of the common broad-tailed 
sheep of the Cape is little better than hair, and is considei'ed 
of no value whatsoever ; but there is a mixed breed in the 
colony, of Spanish and English, introduced by the late 
Colonel Gordon, the wool of which is extremely beautiful,,, 
and seems to improve by every cross. A family of the name 
, : of Van Reenen has paid some attention to this subject, and 
by procuring European sheep, from time to time, out of ships 
that called for refreshments, has succeeded in improving theis: 
stock beyond their expectations. 
No trouble whatsoever is bestowed upon the sheep i they 
neither wash nor salve them, nor, till they were instructed 
by the English agriculturist, did they know how to shear 
them. Yet, the wool taken off in this rough condition has 
sold, as I have been informed, in the London market at 3s. 
to 3s. 6d. the pound. By a proper degree of attention being 
paid to the sheep, and by obviating any degeneracy in the 
breed from a cross with the common Cape sheep, this article 
bids fair to become, in the course of a few years, one of the 
