1807.) 
books, however, of this little library, were 
Blai’s Sermons, Robertson’s History of 
Scotland, Hume’s History of the Stewarts, 
the Specta itor, Idier, Adventurer , Mirror, 
Lounetr, Observer, Maa of Fee élitig, Man 
of the World, Chrysali, Don Quixote, 
Joseph Andrew s, &e. A peasant oni 
€an read and enjoy such SAS is Certainly 
a much superior being to his Heighbour, 
who, perhaps, stalks beside his teain, 
very little removed, except in shape, from 
the brute he drives. 
Wishing your patriotic exertions their 
so much merited success, Lani, Sir, 
Youn’s, &c. 
A PEASANT. 
ef) Pe 
Yo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ii ready insertion which you gave 
if to wy communication on the sub- 
ject of Merino sheep, in your first num- 
ber of this year, and the useful purposes 
which you were of opinion that it might 
effect, induce me to offer a few further 
observations on the subject; especially 
as I have been lately still more than ever 
sonvinced, from various observations, and 
the rebult’of an experiment, which I had ’ 
the gratification -of witnessing at Mr, 
Tollet’s late sheep-shearing, in Stafford- 
shire, that it is perfectly practicable to 
spread this valuable race through our 
island with the greatest advantage. to the 
breeder, and utility to the natiou at large. 
The lions: patriotic agviculturist has 
this year shorn nine hundred and sixty- 
two sheep, of which eighty-six were pure 
Merino, and the remainder various crosses 
ef that breed on the Ryland. His wool 
was sold on the first’ day of shearing, to 
an eminent superfine-manufacturer, at 
four siullings per pound for the pure 
breed, and three shillings for the thixed, 
The gross amount of his li ip was 6O5l. 12s. 
at which rate the Merino averaged about 
a guinea, and the mixed breed 44s. 9d. 
per fleece, It is natural to hope -that 
such a return, when publicly known, will 
stimulate our more enlightened breeders 
to the introduction of Merino blood 
among their flocks. 
Mr. Luceock, in his work on the Na- 
ture and Properties of Wool, 1805, pave 
341, says, “ If we collect the several 
quantities of wool which are obtained 
from the larger. and the smaller sheep 
when living, | and from their yelts when 
dead, and if we add to it that which i is 
procured from Jambs under a year old, 
we find that the! grand total of this subs 
stance produced in England and Wales 
* amounts to more than 593,000 packs. It 
ib procured from more than twenty-six 
CC 
Advantages derivable from Merino Sheep. {aon 
millions of wool-bearing quadrupeds, and 
from $2,352,000 acres of ground.” 
Now, Sir, what must be thought of 
this nation’s supineness, when, after a ge- 
neral introduction of the Spanish breed 
through the states of Europe, after a na-~ 
turalizution tn Sweden with every good. 
resul¢ for eighty-four years, it is known 
that thoup Hi “ twenty-six millions of. 
e Va 
wool-bearing quadrupeds exist in Eng- 
land and W ales,” there are, in all Great 
Britain, at this moment ‘very few, if any, 
more than four hundred ewes of the pure 
Merino race, Flis Majesty, Lord So- 
merville, Mr. Tollet, Lord Porchester, 
and Dr. Parry, compriseall who can be 
said to have a flock; the rest of the 
breed are seattered here and there. If 
we reckon tfat we have six hundred 
Merino rams in the island Qwhich I fear 
is the full extent of the number), we 
make the total of these animals, male 
and female,to be one thousand. Sweden 
reared in her ngorous .climate seventy 
times this number forty years ago ; 
France now possesses far above a mil- 
lion, and Great Britain one thousand! 
The proportion of the mixed breéds in 
these nations 1s still more against us, whilst 
as Mr. Luccock informs us, * we have 
two nullions of sheep, whose fleeces are 
scarcely wool, and which might be brought 
to contribute their share to support the 
woollen manufacture, and to increase the 
wealth of the country.” Than this, no= 
thing is ae certain; for the Merino 
cross will, by degrees, remove the coarsest 
hair, which has ever been seen ona Cape 
sheep, aud produce wool of exquisite 
quality in heu of it. - This progressive im- 
provement has been lately illustrated by 
Mr. Tollet’s experiment on two of the 
Staifordshire Heath breeds, which I have 
before alluded to, and shall now describe. 
Five fat threesshear weathers, which, 
since the time of weaning, had pastured 
together, were shorn and slaughtered on 
the tSth of June last. They were as 
follows: 
No. 1. Merino-Ryland, first Cross. 
2. Shelton Heath. 
3. Ditto, crossed by a Merino-Ry- 
land. 
4. Titensor Heath. 
5. Ditto, crossed ‘by a Merino-Ry- 
Jand. 3 
First, as to fleece. lb. 02. 
No.1) yielded “30 38 
ph Tee ene Nee hw Thy ateateD 
De Sher eee a? ae a8 0 Ne 
4.’ * . . « . 4 A 
oh 5 : Ske Uae, 6 
Tt is here tileicas het the cress had in ~ 
some degree increased the quantity of 
wool - 
