338 
SIR JOHN SINCLAIR, BART. M. P. 
President of the Board of Agricult ure, <§•<*, fyc. 
sir, 
Your enlightened zeal, which causes rural economy to 
flourish in Great Britain, excites the applause of Europe; 
while the former, raised above all other countries by its useful 
knowledge, reaps the valuable fruits of your patriotic esta¬ 
blishments. > 
The Island of Jersey, which has already been the object of 
your attention, is scarcely able, from a variety of circum¬ 
stances, to support its inhabitants two-thirds of the year. To 
this deficiency in the produce of our fields may be added the 
want of manufactures. On the contrary, as the island pro¬ 
duces more cider than is wanted for its consumption, it may 
exchange it for such other articles as it stands in need of. 
Your talents, which have carried the breed of sheep, the 
wool, and the agriculture of the mother country, to a degree 
of perfection which they had not yet attained, will undoubt¬ 
edly give new life to the principal branch of industry of twen¬ 
ty-four thousand of his Majesty’s loyal subjects, nearly three 
thousand of whom are in the royal navy and the merchant ser¬ 
vice. Your kindness in permitting your name to appear at 
the head of this work secures them your patronage. 
While others are founding an ephemeral glory on the 
wrecks of subjugated nations, may you, when you reckon the 
Slumber of your days by that of the benefits you have con¬ 
ferred, taste the solid pleasure of serving long your country¬ 
men, and of being beloved by them. Deign then, Sir, to re¬ 
ceive this tribute of the profoundest respect of the author. 
INTRODUCTION 
