In the year 1793, I was allowed to fend only four ewes to Lord Ailefbury's ram. In the following year, the late Marquis of Bath was fo good as to permit me to fend four ewes to one of his rams, which had alfo been prefented by his Majefty; and I had again the liberty of fending fix to that of Earl Bathurft. In 1795, I had the privilege of ufing the Society's ram, at Mr. Billingfley's, to a fmall number of my ewes. The next year the Society depofited one of their rams with me. He died the following fummer; but his place was fupplied by a much finer in every refpect, obligingly fent me by the prefent Marquis of Bath, and which he has ever fince permitted me to retain. This ram is now old; and, in confequence of an accident within these few days, I have fome doubts whether I can reasonably expect his fervices even for the present season. From this statement it appears how flow my progrefs in the experiment muft have been till the four last years, during which I have been able to employ a large number of ewes. It ap pears alfo, that the quality of wool in my flock muft greatly vary; and as I have generally made it a rule not to put the ewe lambs to the ram, it is probable that the fineft of my sheep have not more than five croffes of the Spanish blood." P. 3.

Here we shall introduce the Doctor's caution, delivered at p. 92 (which he might himfelf have more conveniently introduced in this place) that not one or two croffes only, but five at leaft, are neceffary to the production of fine wool.

Dr. P. having "detailed the qualities of oilinefs, length of ftaple, uniformity, and quantity of wool in fheep derived from the Spanish race," proceeds to the queftion, whether the wool of fuch theep "be defective in fineness, or fitnefs for making the best cloth or caffimere*; and whether this effential property depend on certain circumstances of climate or management, which it is wholly out of our power to obtain ?" P. 9.

Doctor P. then undertakes to anfwer the fingle argument on this fubject, drawn from experience.

66

"It was furely impoffible for any one, who was at all practically acquainted with this fubject, to avoid fmiling at the grave confidence with which different gentlemen pronounced before the Committee of the Houfe of Commons, without any reftriction or qualification, that the rich food of inclofures had made fheep bear coarfer wool. If I am afked, whether I do not refpect the evidence of these gentlemen, fo well informed as they must have been on thefe points on which they were examined; I answer, Yes, as manufacturers, which they were, I greatly refpect them: as agriculturists, which they were not, I refpect them not a ftraw." And had it occurred to any member of that honourable House to have afked them one fimple question, "Do you affert this confequence from your own perfonal knowledge, as a breeder or ftudier of fheep?" I am p rfcaded, that the answer would have proved the juftice of this diftinétion. That they were perfectly acquainted with the difference between coarfe and fine wool (when washed-but not before) I have no doubt; but I shall not believe, because

Ufually written kerjeymere. Rev.

experience

1

experience has convinced me to the contrary, that they had any knowledge of the means employed by Nature to produce that difference."

P. 10.

Many civil things are then faid concerning the body of clothiers, Lord Sheffield, the Rev. A. Young, and Dr. Anderson, with quotations from Annals of Agriculture. But let us pafs by authorities, and come to facts.

"As to myself, I would wish to affert nothing but what appears to me either demonftrable, or, at least, highly probable; and I conceive my felf authorized to conclude from actual facts, which will be hereafter related, that the nature of the food, whether hay, grafs, chicory, Scotch cabbage, or oil cake, in indefinite proportions, given fo as to maintain a certain quantity of flesh, makes no obvious difference in the fineness of the wool. In other words, if an acre of cabbages fhall keep for a given time fifty fheep, in the fame ufually good order as an acre of common keeps two fheep, the wool of the former number fo kept, will, fo far as these circumstances operate, be as fine as that of the latter." P. 17.

Dr. P. next confiders, "what change is produced on the wool of any given fpecies of fheep by the influence of climate." P. 18. The common notion, that wool cannot exist on fheep in tropical climates, but is foon converted into hair, is fatisfactorily refuted. A difcovery, by Sir Jofeph Banks, is related in his own words, of a fheep brought from Jamaica which was fuppofed to carry no wool, but a particular kind of hair; which actually was found to carry two thirds of very fine wool, remarkably soft, and finer than the best Spanish.

Having taken this "general view of thofe caufes which are confidered as influencing the quality of wool," Dr. P. "next examines into the circumftances which are fupposed to be effential to the production of the finest piles." P. 22. The annual journies taken by one fort of Spanish sheep called Trafhumantes, or Travellers, are denied to be the caufe of their fine wool; and it is contended, that they are bred effentially different from the Eftantes, or ftationary fheep. The latter are not permitted to travel, because they are coarse; and do become coarse for want of travelling.

The author's next enquiry is, concerning "the actual results of the attempts to cultivate the Spanish breed of fheep out of Spain." P. 25. In Sweden, France, Holland, and at the Cape of Good Hope, "the Spanish breed of fheep has, to this time, through many generations, maintained the fineness of its wool." P. 26. The trials in England are then attended to. It is justly acknowledged, that to the King's

"patriotic care this country will be indebted for every benefit which it may derive from the growth of fine wool.'

"

"According to Lord

Lord Sheffield, the wool of the Spanish breed, which had been nineteen years from Spain, and two years in his park in Suffex, retained its quality fo well, that it appeared as perfect as the generality of famples he had feen from Spain." P. 29. Having examined the refults of the trials made by others to introduce the Spanish blood, Dr. P. is prepared to communicate thofe of his own;"" and here I must beg the reader once more to confider and carry in his mind those requifites for tine wool infifted on by Mr. Williams and others, fuch as change of place, extent of pafture, and fineness of feed, in order that he may contraft them with the very defective management of my flock. The whole extent of the land which I occupy is less than fixty acres; and the largest inclofure is fourteen acres and an half; the smallest ones being each of not more than three, five, feven, or nine acres. Almott all of it is very much expofed to the influence of the fun and weather; and the sheep have been difpofed on it at different feafons, merely with reference to their fecurity and food, and the drynefs of the foil. No particular care has been taken of them in the winter; and none of them have ever been houfed, except the ewes for two or three nights after lambing, if the weather has been severe. My land is fucceffively manured with ftable ducg, coal afhes, and other foil, and by folding. The greatest part of it produces good crops of grafs; and at least half of is is naturally coarfe and rich. The fatting theep, as is usual, have had better keep than the ftore sheep; and the rams and lambs have generally gone with the former, except in ramming time. In the fpring and fummer of 1799, they were chiefly fupported on wild endive and cabbages; they have always had Scotch cabbages and hay in the autumn, winter, and fpring; and laft winter, were wholly fed on hay, Scotch cabbages, and ground oil-cake. After this statement, I beg leave to afk any impartial perfon, whether a worse treatment of theep for my rpofe could poflibly have been devised; and whether, if the theory of Mr. Williams, and others thinking with him, be founded to the extent which they affume, it must not inevitably follow that my wool is coarfe, and rough, and intractable, and incapable of making fuperfine cloth or caffimere. This must be the theory. What is the fact? That, on the contrary, it is peculiarly fine, and fmooth, and yielding; and that it poffeffes all the qualities of the best wool from Spain.' P. 29.

Dr. P. then speaks of the actual application of the wool of this breed of fheep to the manufacture of cloth and caffimere" (p. 32) which appears to have carried away the prize from the fineft Ryeland, and to have equalled the best Spanish wool:

"I have thus, I truft, fufficiently proved from actual facts the practicability of producing in England, from a crofs of Ryeland ewes with Spanish rams, and without the intervention of a fingle Spanish ewe, wool equal to the fineft which is imported from Spain; and this, under the indifcriminate ufe of the coarseft food, in fmall inclosures, without houfing, or any other management than what is common to the hardieft and most ordinary of our sheep." P. 36.

Wa

We come now to the main point, to that which alone wit! call forth the exertions of farmers; namely, "the advantages which may arife to the farmer, from this fine-woolled breed of fheep." P. 38. An accurate comparative experiment on this queftion feems yet to be wanting; but Dr. P. urges the fuperior flavour and price of his breed; he gives up at present the point of their beauty; but contends that time, and a due felection, will undoubtedly accomplish this matter alfo. In anfwer to the objection, that thefe fheep are too fmall, he obferves, that the profit in flesh and wool, on the fame original value of carcafe, appears from experiments to be in favour of the smallest breed. Of this breed (Dr. Parry's) the rams live very peaceably together, and the flock is more eafily confined; they feem to be healthy, free from rot, fcab, &c. and very few have died. They will live hard, and bear well, without fhelter, the inclemency of the seafons.

At pp. 51, 52, the profit of this Spanish breed is shown by a comparison to be, from the fleece only, "more than treble the profit of the English fheep on the fame land" (p. 52) exclufive of any allowance for improvement of the carcafe.

Dr. P. then confiders, "what advantages may refult to the nation at large from the introduction of the Spanish breed of fheep." P. 52. On this point we must refer to the book itself; and haften to conclude our account, already too far extended, paffing by fuch information as the author draws from the "general views of the agriculture of the feveral counties of England," which are (most of them) of all authorities, the worst that could be produced.

Dr. P. now states the only objection to the introduction of this Spanish breed of fheep; which is, "the difficulty of obtaining the value for the wool; a moft serious objection, when it is confidered, that the promised fuperiority of profit in this breed is from its wool only." P. 64. The methods of counteracting the fubfifting prepoffeffions against it are four; ift, "The establishment of fairs for the fale of wool in different parts of England." 2nd, The "having this fine wool properly forted; and perhaps even wrought up into cloth for the drapers, who would, no doubt, purchase it as English cloth, at fuch a price as to admit of a fair retail profit." 3d, "The wearing cloths made of British wool." 4th," Permitting the exportation of our wool." This laft topic is by far too extenfive to be entered upon by us; and enough, at least, has been faid, to fhow that Dr. Parry's book "deferves the attention not of farmers only, but of legiflators and statesmen."

ART.

ART. VII. Public Characters of 1800 and 1801. 587 pp. 9s. Philips. 1801.

WE

8vo.

E have a general objection to biographical sketches of living characters, however diftinguished by their talents, or efteemed for their virtues, or greatly as they may excite univerfal curiofity by any peculiarity of manners or of conduct. Our objections are of the following kind; and let our readers judge of their force.

Such sketches muft either be composed by the individuals themselves, by friends, or by enemies. No individual can well be qualified to defignate his own life, character, and manners; for what man of us knows himfelf, or can write of himfelf with an unbiaffed judgment? Much lefs fhould either friend or enemy undertake the talk. during the life of the man himself, as it is impoffible in fuch a cafe for partiality, prejudice, and paffion, not to appear in the detail of any more extraordinary incident. It feems better therefore to wait till the ordinary courfe of nature brings the subjects properly before us; till the artificial veil is removed, which the tumult of the world invariably fpreads before the face of truth; till the emotions of paffion gradually fubfide, and permit the cool and uninterrupted operation of the judgment.

Of the individuals, whofe characters are here brought forth to public exhibition, many are perfonally known to us with a greater or lefs degree of intimacy, many more have been obferved by us in the common intercourfe of life with so vigilant a notice, that we are able to say, unequivocally, of the first, that the accounts here given of them are exceedingly imperfect; and, of the laft, that they must have been drawn up by themselves, or by very dear friends indeed; fome, again, though here held up as public characters, have never reached our knowledge, even by name.

Such a volume as this, it is but juftice to fay, is exceedingly well calculated to put us in good humour with the world; all is complacency and kindness; the pages are deformed by no narratives of vices, and the characters themselves feem almost exempt from the common infirmities of our nature. This, indeed, is a fault on the right fide. The writers, who are evidently various, have however a general bias to opinions which we cannot approve; and fometimes deliver their fentiments very peremptorily, on fubjects which they undoubtedly had not ftudied. For this, and the preceding reafons, it is a book