96 O V 
We are thus enabled, from hiftory, to trace the intro¬ 
duction and eftablilhment of the merino race of flieep in 
Spain, from which, or from their defendants, nearly all 
the manufactories of fine cloth in Europe are at prefent 
fupplied with wool. 
The native breeds of Bcetica were originally and gra¬ 
dually converted into fine-woolled animals, by repeated 
crofles with the Tarentine flocks ; and thus an immenfe 
number of hardy flieep, producing a molt valuable pile, 
were fpread over the country, and l'urvived the fuccefiive 
conquefts of the Goths and Vandals, and the protraCted 
warfare of many centuries. The pure Tarentine breed 
in Greece and Italy being more delicate, is faid to have 
become extinCt with the deftruCtion of the Roman em¬ 
pire ; but the mixture of this-race with the original flocks 
of Italy may ftill be diltindlly traced, particularly in the 
middle and fouthern parts. The Italian wool was finer 
than that of any other country in Europe, except Spain, 
prior to the improvements which have recently taken place 
by the introduction of the merinos. It is not improbable, 
that the fine-woolled flocks of England, though greatly 
inferior to the merinos in the quality of the wool, were 
alfo originally defended from crofles with the Tarentine 
breed, introduced by the Romans when they eftabliflied 
a manufacture of woollen cloth at Winchefter. 
The deftruCtion or deterioration of the improved flocks 
in the ages of barbarifm which fucceeded the fall of the 
Roman empire, was the natural confequence of the de¬ 
cay of the manufactures, and of a total inattention to 
prevent the intermixture with coarfer breeds. In Spain 
alone, the improved race had taken fuch complete pof- 
feflion of the mountainous diftriCts, that it remained un¬ 
mixed and unimpaired till the revival of commerce and 
the arts, when that country fupplied the neighbouring 
nations with fine wool, and was fuppofed to poffefs fome 
peculiar advantages of foil and climate, which it would 
be vain to feek for elfewhere. The opinion that the fu- 
perior finenefs of the Spanilh fleeces was derived entirely 
from fome peculiarity of the foil and climate, had ob¬ 
tained fo generally, and was fo firmly believed, even 
twenty-five years fince, in this country, that he who af- 
ferted the contrary, was regarded by agriculturalifts and 
clothiers as a fpeculative theorift, only deferving their 
pity-. 
It is not a little remarkable, that this prejudice conti¬ 
nued undiminilhed nearly a century after the merino 
flieep had been introduced into Sweden and Saxony, and 
hadcontinued to produce wool in thofe countries equally 
fine with that of their parent flocks in the Spanifh penin- 
fula. It might have been previoufly fuppofed that the 
climate of Sweden, being much colder than that of Great 
Britain, and more remote from the annual mean tempe¬ 
rature of Spain, would render that country peculiarly 
unfriendly to the merino race and to the produdtion of 
fine wool. This prejudice refpedting the influence of 
climate would have been removed by confidering that 
ahnoft all the fineft furs are the produdtion of cold cli¬ 
mates, and that the growth of fine wool and fur is a pro- 
vifion of nature, to defend animals againft the fevere cold 
of the diftridts nearer the poles. Mr. Alrtroemer, who 
had previoufly endeavoured to ameliorate the breed of 
flieep in Sweden, by importations from England and 
Germany, obtained a flock of merinos, which he intro¬ 
duced into that country (as we have faid) in the year 
1723. In the year 1739, the Swedilh government, for 
the promotion of this race, inftituted a Jchool ofJhepherds, 
under the diredtion of Mr. Alftroemer, and public funds 
were appointed for granting premiums to thofe who fold 
rams of the Spanilh breed ; and, from the fame period to 
1780, a premium of twenty-five per cent, was alfo grant¬ 
ed on the fale of fine wools of a good quality. Tliefe 
premiums were afterwards reduced, and finally difconti- 
nued in 1792, being no longer necefl'ary. From exadt 
accounts, it appears that the fine wool fold from 1751 
to the year 1790, amounted to 3,402,961 francs: but 
I s. 
the quantity of fine wool actually produced was much 
greater than what had been fold to receive the premium, 
a confiderable part having been confumed in domeftic 
manufactures by the growers and others ; and the dif- 
tance of the public magazines, where the wools were fent 
to receive the premium, prevented the public returns 
from including the real quantity of fine wool grown. In 
the year 1764, there were in Sweden 65,369 flieep of the 
pure merino race, and 23,384 of a mixed breed produ¬ 
cing fine wool. The Swedilh merinos preferve their pri¬ 
mitive form; their fleeces are very clofe, and the wool 
has not deteriorated in finenefs, length, or elafticity ; and 
the flieep produce as great a weight of fleece as in Spain, 
wherever they are fupplied with a fuflicient quantity of 
food. This race, now naturalized in Sweden, are larger 
and ftronger than the Spanifli flieep. Tliefe fadts prove 
decidedly that the Spanifli flieep do not lofe the good 
qualities of their wool by a removal to cold countries. 
At the fame time it muft be obferved, that thofe lheep 
degenerated which had been negledted, or treated in the 
fame wretched manner as the native flocks, by confining 
them in damp, infedted, and dirty, ftables during apart 
of the year, and omitting the requilite quantity of food; 
or pafturing them in fummer in forefts and marlhes, or in 
low moift fituations, where they could neither find the 
proper kind nor due quantity of herbage. 
The introdudtion of the merinos into Saxony took 
place in 1765, and again in theyear 1778. The firft flock 
confided of one hundred rams and two hundred ewes, 
chofen for the eledtor of Saxony from the belt flocks in 
Spain ; they were placed under the care of a Spanifli ma- 
jorinus or mayor, at Stolpen, fix leagues from Drefden, 
on the frontiers of Bohemia. After ten years’ experi¬ 
ence, it was found that they had preferved all the origi¬ 
nal good qualities of the fleece, and the w’ool from the 
mixed breed had alfo acquired a degree of finenefs which 
did not yield to that from Spain. As foon as it was af- 
certained by experience that it was eafy to naturalize the 
Spanifli flieep in Saxony, and that the crofles from this 
race with the native flocks were fo greatly ameliorated, 
the attention of the agriculturalift was diredted to the 
general improvement of the flocks ; and fuch has been 
the fuccefs, that their produce is at prefent one of the 
greateft fources of profit to the cultivator. During the 
laft fifteen years, a very confiderable quantity of fine 
wool has been imported from Saxony into England, and 
the price of the bed fort is greater than that of the fineft 
Spanifli wool; a fuflicient proof of the eftimation in which 
it is held by the manufadf urers. It is better fuited for 
the fineft kerfeymeres, and the more delicate articles of 
the woollen trade, as it can be fpun to a greater length 
than any other kind of carded w f ool growm in Europe ; it 
is alfo fuperiorin finenefs; but, owing to the fcarcity of 
winter-food, it is generally lefs found than the beft Spa¬ 
nifli, and not fo well fuited for (tout cloths. 
The merino race has fince been introduced into Den¬ 
mark, the Pruflian dates, Auftria, France, Holland, Italy, 
the Cape of Good Hope, and the United States of Ame¬ 
rica. 
As France is perhaps the mod formidable rival which 
our manufadf urers of fine cloths will meet in foreign mar¬ 
kets, the progrefs made in the amelioration of her native 
flocks becomes an objedt of intereft to the Englilh agri¬ 
culturalift and clothier. The celebrated minifter Col¬ 
bert firft formed the defign of improving the breeds of 
French lheep, by importations from England and Spain. 
But his intentions were at that time oppofed. It was not 
till the year 1776 that the Spanifli breed was introduced 
into France, by M. M. Trudaine, attendant of finances, 
under the direction of the celebrated naturalilf Dauben- 
ton. The experiments which lie made on tliefe lheep, 
and numerous crofles from them, with feven diftindf 
breeds, which he had on his eftate in Auxors, deinon- 
ftrated to the government that it was eafy to introduce 
and preferve a race of lheep in France, producing luper- 
