Ch'oivth and Develojyment of the Trade in Frozen Mutton. 209 
restricting attention to the more important sources. Thus, in 
1883, but apparently never again, Peru appeared as an exporter. 
More than half the "other countries'" supply of that season 
was credited to a Peruvian import of 2,559 cwts. of fresh 
mutton. Again, in 1884, a like role was played by Uruguay, 
whence 8,467 cwts. arrived. 
In 1886, what at one time seemed to be a formidable begin- 
ning was made by the Falkland Islands, whence came a single 
cargo of some 30,000 carcasses, weighing nearly 18,000 cwts. 
-This was followed in 1887 by more than one shipment, bringing 
a total supply of 41,000 carcasses, weighing 23,476 cwts., from 
the same remote quarter. The earliest of the 1887 cargoes 
fetched only 'Sd. to i'^d. per lb., and the latter was disposed of, 
in part at least, at prices varying from o^d. to 4:d. — values which 
cannot have been very encouraging to the enterprising islanders, 
who still, I believe, profess an intention to ship sheep to Great 
Britain. The import tables of last year do not, however, contain 
any repetition of their feat, and the two-year effort of the Falk- 
lands seems to have succumbed to the low prices of 1887. The 
failure is variously accounted for — by the want of preparation for 
the treatment of the sheep at the port of embarkation, by their 
being overdriven before slaughter and freezing, and, in the latter 
shipments, by some defect in the arrangements during transport. 
The mere fact, however, that sudden additions to our frozen 
supplies such as this may at any moment become feasible is not, 
of course, to be overlooked. In this instance we had a little 
colony with a population of some 1,800 persons raising their 
sheep stock from 10,000 to 500,000 in twenty-five years' time, 
and actually sending here, in 1886, in one cargo more than three 
times as much mutton as New South Wales, with her older frozen 
trade and her 40,000,000 sheep, supplied in that year, and 
again in 1887 exceeding in her contribution to our imports the 
totals of either New South Wales or Victoria. 
The European supply, other than the Dutch, is now very 
small and irregular. But it is doubtless capable of consider- 
able development. I am disposed to believe that the Dutch 
supply itself may have, in the past, come in partly from German 
territory. Certainly some small carcasses unlike the native 
Hollanders have always been among the receipts from the 
Netherlands. 
In connection with this continental trade a surprising change 
in the receipts of fresh mutton presents itself as this paper goes 
to press, and reminds us of the ever feasible extension of old, or 
sudden development of new sources of supply. The increase in 
the current year is, indeed, not an additional import, but simply 
VOL. XXV. — s. s. p 
