The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-15 00:00:00

111 E LATE MR. JONAS WEBB.

The death was lately announced, at the compara•
tively early age of 66, of Mr. Jonas Webb, late o
Babraham, Cambridgeshire, whose fame as a South
down breeder caused his name to be honourably
known throughout the world. Mr. Webb survived
his wife only four days, and his death, which is
attributed to gastric fever, was probably accelerated
by the anguish sustained by the loss of the beloved
partner with whom he had so successfully fought
the battle of life. Mr. Webb's ram-lettings may be
said to have succeeded the Holkham sheep shear-
ings which early in the century conferred such
lustre on the name of Coke, and their annual recur-
rence was an epoch in the agricultural year. Around
his sale ring, in one of the Babraham meadows,
were regularly gathered gentlemen interested in
sheep breeding, not merely in the East of England
but from the West, North, and South also, to say
nothing of strangers from France, Germany, Spain,
Sweden, and every European country, with enter-
prising "cornstalks" from Australia, and 'cute
Yankees from the New World. Commenced 34
years since, these meetings enjoyed an unprece-
dented prosperity, until they were brought to a
regretted termination last June, when advancing
years and an honourable competence induced Mr.
Webb to retire from the active scene which he had
so long occupied and adorned. The last sale was a
perfect triumph for him. The flock scattered lite-
rally to the four winds of heaven—for some crossed
the Atlantic, ethers went to Australia, and others
to every State in the Old World—realised altogether
the splendid sum of £16,000, and the cheers with
which their former possessor was greeted at the
close were the best proof that no one envied
him his fairly-achieved success. 'There can be
no doubt that Mr. Webb was a public benefac-
tor in the best sense of the word. If he who made
two blades of grass to grow where one grew be-
fore was pronounced long since a patriot, the man
who improved the Southdown so that it became at
once a more symmetrical, a more mutton-producing
and a more wool-beefing animal is also entitled
the
to a niche in the temple of fame. B
natural home of the merino, but SpaiPnat isst June
lavished her resources with no sparing hand to
secure—through the Marquis de Fertile's and several
other gentlemen who represented that advancing
country at the International Exhibition—some of
the Babraham Southdowns with Win°h to produce
in future not merely abundant w
down mutton. So with Germany,
:1, but South-
here the. Webb.
• and again with
Southdown has been crossed again and
the merino, and with the best results. So with
rreseiation of meta
France, which has a growing
merinos and cotelettes "So with Australia,
which, having conquered
mouhe toan
wool-market of the
word through the her growing popu-
lation merinos, is
WArthuvftr
now thinking of the futuraeto
eat as well as wool to
lation will require mu.tto
whose keen-sighted New
sell. So with even last June, notwith-
standing freely
America,
Yorkers purchasedcrash
of Constitutions and the din of
the
Southdowns were something to
ebb'o
arms. Mr.
remember, and the change which he effected in the
, .„„k.—converting gaunt ridge-backed ani-
originagnwell-covered, stalwart, and gracefu,
inals was something marvellous, as Were, in-
sPecimens7 • a which -
deed, the bidding were occasionally elicited
—lOO,
150, and even 20t.) guineas. Mr. Webb de-
voted attention also of late years to the breeding of
shorthorn cattle, and his persevering path nee, un-
sparing application of capital, and able judgment
produced in this department of his operations highly
successful results, as the records of many ;agricultu-
ral meetings testify. But it is as the father of the
Southdown that he will be known to fame. The last
impression of the Journal d'Agrieulture Pratique
shows how fully " M. Jonas Webb" was known and
appreciated in this capacity in France- The at-
tendance at his sales of such men as Baron Nath-
usius and others proves how highly " Herr Jonas
Webb" was regarded in Germany and Prussia;
and in England, America, Australia, and wherever
the English tongue is spoken, the plain " Jonas
Webb" was vccepted with respect. The conversa-
tion at his breakfast table on the great days was
poiyglottic, and his plain farm-house at Babraham
was for 30 years a Mecca to which resorted the
agricultural faithful of all-nations.