The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-07-25 00:00:00

live tenths/14am,, where the sheep are baited on
the road. And, of so much iinportauce is their
welfare considered, and so extrineiely strict is the
.police of, this country, to pranarim them during
their journeys, from all hazard of disturbance or
interruption, that no person, not even a foot pas-
tienger, who does not belong to the float% is suf-
fered to travel upon these roads, while the sheep are
in motion.° As soon as the pasturage, from the
increasing heats of April and May, becomes scan-
ty, the sheep begin their march towards the moun-
tains of Leon, and after having been shorn on the
road, at vast establishments, called Esquileos (where
they are put into close places to sweat, which the
Spaniards think makes them shear better), pass
the summer in the elevated country, which supplies
them with abundance of rich grass ; and they do
not leave the mountains, till the frosts in Septem-
ber begin to damage the herbage.
These travelling sheep are called by the Spa-
niards, trashumanty; there is another breed of
coarser-wooled sheep, which are stationary, and
called monies.
A flock, in the aggregate, is called a mane,
and each distinct flock takes the name of its pre-
sent or original possessor. The cameo of Pau-
ler, for instance, consisting of 30.000 slisep, origi-
nally belonged to the Moults of Paula, from whom
it was purchased by the Prince of Peace, soon after
the rose into power4together with the land belonging
to it in Estremadure and Leon, at a price, per head,
equal to Ids. Bd. Euglisht. The cassias of Ne-
vette takes its name from it title in the family of
Its present possessors ; and that of the Escurial,
from the monastery of that name, to whose monks'
it belongs.
By a code of laws, called the Mesta, every
circumstance relating to the management 2of these
sheep is conducted with the utmost precision.
Each cavorted is sub-divided into tribes of 1000
each, and the command of the revues, or whole
flock, is confined to an officer called the Mayoral,
who generally possesses 4 or 500 sheep of Ins own,
and is skilful in their management, and the cure of
diseases. Each division of IWO has lie shepherds
and four dogs to attend it; there arc besi les in each
tribe eland cis aroasos, or tame wetliers; these
wear bells, and are very obedient to the voices of
the shepherds, who generally feed theta with bread ;
thus they follow, or are led by the shepherds, and
the flock, of coarse, follows. The dogs are not
used, as iu this country, for ally purpose of driving
or keeping the sleep together, but for their protec-
tion against wolves, which are very numerous, and,
while the sheep are travelling, very trooldesnine.—
At these nines, and at the time of yeaninsi, each
tribe is allowed one or two extra shepherds. So
that, according to the forego:Tr statements, these
sheep, in Spam, are attended be 30,000 shepherds,
cud 45,000 dogs; besides finding occasional em-
ployment for bum 5 to 10,000 additional persons at
tic time of travelling and liiinhiug seasons:.
Incredible as it may appear, it is nevertheless
true, that, by the laws of the Mesta, the flock is
entirely ceuktled to the care of the shepherds,
without admitting any sort of interference by the
proprietor, who derives no profit whatever, except
from wool, whiehi.after payment of duties, &c. is
averaged tit about ts, oer helot.
A great deal has been said by ditTerent authors,
and much importance has been annexed to the use
of salt. by the Merino sheep in Spain, but it was
ileclartxt by the shepherds who lately came over
with the alveolar flock, presented to Hie Majesty,
that uo salt is aced, except in the very hottest sea-
son of the year, whets the sheep are oil the 'nouns.
tains.
These sheep, it is said, a%e always low kept :•
indeed, whets the driving, sweating, and, in short,
the whole of their treatuseut is considered, it does
not appear to nie possible how they should be other-
wise than in low condition. As the smother of the
flock is prescribed, as well as the lap-tares which
are to support tli iii, all inerruse, more than is ne-
cessary- to supply losses of their ow ii, or a tv.aghbour-
ing flock, is useless; therefore, most of tile lambs
are destioyed, every year, as soon as dropped, and
each of those preserved is made to stickle two ewes,
by the practice (not at all uncuinition to this coun-
try) of ptitiiiig the skin of the dead lamb upon the
one which is, to have the foster or additional mo-
ther, for a few days, by which means, (the skin re-
taining the smell of her own lain's, when alive), she
very soon adopts it. The Spanish shepherds limey
that the wool of an ewe, which brings up her lamb
without assistance, is injured.
At shearing-time, the shepherds, shearers, wash-
ers, and u multitude of tionecessary attendants, arc
fed upon the flesh of the culled or drafted sheep;
sod it apiwars that the consumption, at this time
of feasting, is sufficient to devour the whole of the
sheep that mire drafted Irons the flock;). " Mutton,
in Spain," it is observed by Sir Joseph Banks,
" is not a favourite food ; in truth, it is not, in that
cinnitry, preps' ed for the palate, as ill this." It is,
however, worthy of remark, that, so partial to the
Merino flavour were the shepherds who came over
with the Paular flock, that, on the road from Ports-
mouth, they tut up and eat every sheep whieli died
upon the way ; preferring it to the flue slaughtered
meat of this country. The other breed, of coarser-
woolled sheep, called ward's, and the coast of Bar-
bary, furnish the supply that is waited for the
table.