97 
0 V 
fine wool 5 and, in the year 1785, a fele&ion of 376 rams 
and ewes, from the fined: flocks in Spain, was conduced, 
under the care of a mayor, to the farm of Rambouillet. 
They confided of individuals of extraordinary beauty, 
fuperior to any previously introduced into France; but, 
having been chofen from a number ofdiftant flocks, they 
prefented great varieties of fhape and fize, which have 
fince difappeared by intermixture; and a new race has 
been formed, differing from any of the primitive flock, 
but which equals the belt of them in form and conftitu- 
tion, and in the finenefs, length, foftnefs, elafticity, and 
quantity, of wool. 
It is to be obferved, that the wool-dealers and manu¬ 
facturers in France were at firlt difpofed to depreciate the 
value of the wool; but, numerous accurate experiments 
having proved that the cloths manufactured from it were 
in every refpeCt equal to thofe made from the bell Spanifh 
wool, thefe prejudices difappeared ; and the republican 
government, as well as that of the emperor Napoleon, in- 
terefted themfelves in the further introduction of Spanifh 
fheep into France. In the year 1802, it was calculated 
that there were one million fheep in France, either of 
pure merinos, or of an ameliorated mixed breed. Since 
that time many large flocks have been imported from 
Spain, the temporary command which the French ob¬ 
tained of that country having afforded them facilities 
for their introduction. In the courfe of a very few years, 
France will, in all probability, produce a fufficient fup- 
ply of fuperfine wool for her extenfive woollen manufac¬ 
tories. The following is an account of the annual fide 
of fheep from the merino flock at the royal eftablifhment 
at Rambouillet in France, on the 16th and 17th of June, 
1818, extracted from a letter of M. Huzard, director of 
the eftablifhment, to fir Jofeph Banks. “ Eighty-one ewes 
fold by auCtion at 61 . 5s. fterlingeach. The higheft-priced 
lots were fold at 22J. 12s. id. each, charges included. 
The average price of the ewes fold, 13I. 5s. each. Eighty 
rams were fold at, from 98I. 15s. each, to 29I. 5s. iod. 
Average price of the rams, 52I. ns.8d. The flock was 
in the belt: poflible ftate of health.” 
The experiments which have been made by the intro¬ 
duction of the merino fheep into the United States of 
America, the Gape of Good Hope, and New Holland, 
prove that fine wool may be grown wherever there are 
intelligent cultivators, and that it is not the gift of a 
peculiar foil or climate. We are, however, fully con¬ 
vinced, that very elevated temperatures will require 
greater care to prevent deterioration. The fpecimens of 
wool which we have feen from New Holland, appear to 
have been affefted by an arid fandy foil, and by the great 
heat of the fun, which has in fome degree injured the 
foftnefs of the fleece. Between the tropics, elevated 
mountains and (hade would be eflentially requifite to pre- 
fhrve a race of fine-woolled fheep from degenerating. 
The advantages which the merino fheep pofiefs as wool¬ 
bearing animals, over the native breeds of Englifh fine- 
woolled fheep, confift in three important peculiarities : 
iff, the wool is much finer; adly, it is more regularly 
fine over the body; and 3dly, it is grown in a larger 
quantity from the fame furface of fkin. That the meri¬ 
no wool is finer than the bed Englifh, is proved from this 
circumftance; the beft forted Spanifh wool, or the “R 
wool” as it is called, from the fineff flocks, fells at nearly 
double the price of the beft Englifh forted wool, or what 
the wool-ftaplers call the prime and puked luck. Thofe 
Englifh fleeces which yield a portion of the beft fort, ge¬ 
nerally contain a larger portion of inferior forts : fome- 
times eight forts will be found in one fleece, and the fineft 
will not conftitute one-eighth of the whole. On the con¬ 
trary, the fleeces of the merino fheep are lo regularly fine 
over the whole body, as generally to yield from two-thirds 
to three-fourths of the fuperfine or “ R wool.” The fe- 
cond fort, called the “ F wool,” is alfo fine; and, with 
the “ T wool,”, or third fort, bears a higher price than 
sthe beft Englifh wool. The quantity of wool on a me- 
Noh. XVIII. No. 1227. 
I s. 
Fino fheep is confiderably greater than on ah Englifh fheep 
of the fame fize ; this is not owing to the greater length 
of the wool, but to the animal being more fully clothed 
over the body and legs; and the wool is alfo grown 
clofer than on Engliih fheep ; that is, there are more fila¬ 
ments on the fame furface. A moderate-fized ‘weli- 
clothed merino fheep will yield a fleece which, when 
brought to the fame ftate of purity as the Englifh wool, 
will weigh 3lbs. A Ryeland, Norfolk, or South-Down, 
fheep, of the fame fize, will produce a fleece oniy weighing 
about 2lbs. The value will be nearly as five to two in 
favour of the merino fleece. In this ftate, however, the 
merino fleece is not clean; as the wools imported from 
Spain are fcoured after they are fhorn, and before they 
are forted, by which means it is much cleaner than it can 
be made by wafhingon the back of the animal. 
The fhape of thefe animals by no means correfponds 
with the fymmetry of form which an Englifh grazier con- 
iiders as the criterion of excellence. The legs are rather 
long, the neck curved, and from the throat there hangs 
a pendulous fkin, or dewlap, which is very oft'enfive to 
thofe who are, only accuftomed to view the improved 
breeds of Englifh fheep. This appendage is valued in. 
Spain, as indicating a tendency to produce wool. The 
colour of the fkin beneath the wool, on the back and 
fides, is of a rofe-red colour : this is alfo confidered by the 
Spaniards as a fign of a robuft conftitution and an abun¬ 
dant fleece. The only Englifh (beep which have the fame 
coloured fkin, with the pendulous dewlap, are the Rye- 
land, which produces alfo the fineft Englifh wool. Thefe 
circumftances, with the ancient praftice of houfing the 
fheep, continued in Hereford (hi re, where it is called cot- 
ting-, confirm the opinion before advanced, that the Rye- 
land fheep were defcende.d from the Tarentine race intro¬ 
duced by the Romans into this country. 
The Spanifh breed of fheep were firlt introduced into 
Great Britain in the year 1787. Some individuals of the 
black and fpotted fheep had indeed been procured, and 
kept in the parks of noblemen previoufly, but without 
any regard to the wool; nor was much intereft excited by 
the flock introduced in 1787. The fheep however lived, 
though treated in the Englifh manner; and the wool had 
not deteriorated. Thefe fa fits having proved that the 
merino race might be naturalized in England, his ma- 
jefty George III. obtained from the marquis of Campo 
Alanjo five rams and thirty-five ewes of the Nigrette race. 
They were imported in the year 1792; and next fol¬ 
lowed that large importation which has naturalifed the 
merinos among us. 
Th e cavana, or flock, of Paular, to which the animals 
prefented to his majefty belonged, confifted of 36,000 
fheep ; and the feleftion was fo made,as.to render the gift 
peculiarly valuable. “ The number lent from Spain to 
the king was 2000, equal to two fubdivifions of the origi¬ 
nal cavana : to make the prefent the more valuable, thefe 
were fele.£ted by the fhepherds from eight fubdivifions, in 
order to choofe young, well-fhaped, and fine-wooled, 
animals. The whole number embarked was 2214 ; of 
thefe, 214 were prefented by the Spaniards to fome of his 
majefty’s minifters, and 427 died on the journey, either 
at fea, or on their way from Portfmouth to Kew. His 
majefty was gracioufly pleafed to take upon hintfdf the 
whole of die lofs, which reduced the royal flock to 1573. 
As the time of giving the ram in.Spain is July, the ewes 
were full of lamb when they embarked; feveral of them 
caft their lambs when the weather was bad at fea, and 
were rendered fo weak and infirm by abortion, that feve¬ 
ral more died foon after, their arrival, notwithftanding the 
great care taken of them by his majefty’s fhepherds.” 
Letters and Papers of the Bath Agricultural Society, vpl. 
xii. 1810. 
Hence it is clear, that we pofiefs the complete and un¬ 
mixed race of that flock of the Spanifh breed which is 
raoft efteemed for prime piles. The fneep went on very 
well in this country; and the quantity and quality of the 
C c vvool 
