£ Mr. Thompfon, on the Necefity | 
Magnis, who with a patriotic zeal forfook 
the court, and devoted his attention to 
agricultural purfuits. When he {fettled 
on his eftates in 1786, he found himfelf 
poffetied of three thoufand native fheep, 
which returned him one thoufand two 
hundred rix-dollars per annum. He now 
poilefies above nine thoufand fheep, im- 
proved by the breeds of Hungary and 
Spain, which yield hin tweaty-fix thou- 
fand rix-dollars per annum. . This en- 
lightened breeder conduéts his fheep-farm 
with admirable order and intelligent fkill, 
beyond all praife. The fine manufactures 
of Pruflia are increafed three-fold within 
the lait thirteen years; and the encou- 
ragement given te the adoption of Me- 
rino fheep, makes it probable that the 
country will, ere long, be able exclufively 
to fupply itfelf with fine wool, which is 
at prefent partly imported from Saxony 
by purchate at the Leipzig fairs before 
mentioned, 
“ Germany, &c. 
‘¢ The firft importation of Merino fheep 
imto this country, was made by the Em- 
preis Maria Therefa in 1775; but the 
fuccefs was commenfurate with the at- 
tention paid to them, which was next to 
none, though there are fiill to be found 
flocks of improved wool derived from 
thefe, in the Aufirian f{tates, and more par- 
ticularly in Bohemia and Hungary. The 
examples of Saxony and Silefia feem alfo 
to have awakened the attention of the 
Auftrian government, whichis atthis time 
employing agents in Spain to procure 
Merino fheep. 
“ Anfpach and Bayreuth applied them- 
felves to this ufeful purfuit in 1788, and 
ftill more ftrenuoufly in 1790. So com- 
plete, indeed, was their conviction of its 
importance, that there are at this time 
but few breeders, whofe flocks have not 
at leaiit begun to introduce the Spanith 
erofs. 
“The Dake of Wirtemberg (who was 
fond of agriculture,) imported Merino 
fheep in 1786, and afterwards eftablifhed 
a regular fale to his fubjects. The thirty- 
two animals, which that.brave and fkilful 
General Moreau prefented to the Agri- 
cultural Society of Strafburg, were bred 
by the Duke of Wirtemberg. They had 
been gratuitoufly offered to the French 
General, after the conclufion of the ar- 
miftice, and are now near Strafburg. at 
Sulz. 
“Tn other parts of Germany, the fame 
race has alfo been adopted with the mott 
decifive fuccefs. The Chamberlain Von 
Molk, whole demain ism Mecklenburg, 
[Feb. ty 
has an extenfive flock of them, and the 
Agricultural Society of Zell maintain, at 
their coft, a mixed breed improved to the 
laft degree of finenefs. Many of the 
flocks in the Electorate of Hanover, the 
Duchy of Brunfwick, the Palitinate, 
Suabia, Baden, &c. are alfo mdebted to 
the Merino theep for their palpable im- 
provement. The breed was adopted by 
Brunfwick in 1783, by Suabia and.Ba- 
den, 1788. | 
“‘ PRANCE. 
“The firft man, whofe attention was di- 
rected to this important branch of na- 
tional economy, was Colbert. This mini- 
{ter formed a defign of improving the 
French breeds of fheep by importing from 
Spain and England fuch as were at that 
time more perfect than France could 
boaft of poffetiing. Colbert’s views were 
ufeful and well-digefted; but they were 
alfo new, confequently there were not 
wanting thofe who oppofed the execu< 
tion of them. Since that time, however, 
an able and accurate obferver has ftept 
forth to undertake this purfuit, and has 
rapidly caufed the improvement of the 
French flocks to fuch an extent, that it 
may almoft be faid to have fprung at 
once from infancy to maturity, Daus 
benton is the name of the enlightened 
agriculturift, who, with a fuccefs equal to 
his perfeverance, has devoted himfelf to 
the cultivation of a race fo important to 
our fubfiftence, to our clothing, and to a 
multitude of arts connected with our in- 
numerable wants ; a cultivation, evidently 
tending to releafe France from a kind of 
tribute, which fhe annually pays to Spain 
for fine wool. The breed was firft im- 
ported from that country in 1776, and 
Daubenton having, by the experiments 
made during feven years, afcertained that 
he had by judicious intermixture pro 
duced a breed bearing wool equal im 
quality to that hitherto obtained from 
Spain, fent various portions of it to dif+ 
ferent manufaciurers in 1783, and 1784; 
the refult of which was, that the higheft 
price of the fineft wools was offered by 
them; nay, they even went fo far as to 
point out qualities, in which thisimproved 
French wool excelled the Spanifh. Such 
being the cafe, many landholders direéted 
their attention to fo lucrative an object; 
and M. Dangevillier, at that time gover 
nor of Rambouillet, applied to the Spanith 
Court fora flock. The King gave orders 
for a feleétion to be made from the moft 
perfeét breeds, and three hundred and 
fixty-feven were fent in 1786. They pros 
ceeded by moderate journeys to. Rate 
vA '  -pouillet, 
