The Sun.
London, England, 1828-08-28 00:00:00

BOMBAY SHIPPING.

AnaivaLs.—Feb. 19, French brig Diligent, A. Gottier,
Corn. from Bordeaux, Sept. 14.-20. Arab Futtulkhire,
Mahomud Amin, Nacqudah, from Pulo Penang, Dec. 12.
Do. Ship Charlotte, - T., Hector, Corn. from Rangoon,
Jan. 22.-23. Cutter Liiiza, L. R. Ilaux, Coin. from
Colombo.-25. Portuguese ship, Anund Pursad, Joao
Ricardo Gomes, Com. from Macao, Nov. 23. Do. brig
Hamo,dy, nuamnobuoy, Meya Nacqudali, from Siam
Dee. 2.-26. Brig St. Sebastiano, from Macao, Dec. 24,
1527, and Goa, Feb. 6, Joze Francis'ele Oliveira, Coin.
DEPARTURES.—Feb. 22. Ship Earl Kellie, Peter
Broadfoot, Com, to Nicobars and Rangoon. Do. Turkish
brig Futtay Sallum, Syed Mahomud Nacqudah, to Surat.
—23. Armed ketch Chacer, Mussa Peerblioy Svrang, to
Tankara Bunder.-21. Dutch barque Rajah-wali, Prick
Rough, Corn. to Java. Do. brig Grecian, James Allen,
Corn. to Liverpool.-25. French brig Le Voltiguer, T.A.
Auger, Com. to Bourbon.
Sines LOADlNG.—Excusti—Duke of Bedford, for
London ; Margaret, for ditto ; Heise, for ditto ; Clairmont,
for ditto; Edmonstonc, for China; Solimany, for ditto;
Gloriozo, for the Eastward.—FßENCH—Deux Charlin,
for Marseilles.--ARAB—Monsoory, for Persian Gulf.
Lire OF SHIFFING IN THE HARBOUR.--FREE
Te ADEES .—Duke of Bedford, Margaret, Hebe, Alacrity,
Mountstuart, Elphinstone, Lady Feversham, Cleveland.
COUNTRY Sinrs.—Helen, Castlereagh, Gloriozo, Ha-
moody, Byramgore, Oscar, Bannerman, Earl Kellie, Asia.
Felix, Ann, Prince of Wales, Lowjee, Glenelg, Charles
Forbes, Solimany, Milford Illustre, Almeida, Prome, Ca-
roline, Edmonstone, Clairmont, Golconda, Cartha, Sam-
dany, Belle Alliance, Monsoory, Mudenhun, Futaysalam,
and H. C. Cruizer Nautilus.— Gazette, Feb. 27.
MADRAS SHIPPING.
ARRIVALS. —Feb. 27. Ship Mary Ann, Captain M.
O'Brien, from London, Nov. 18.-29. Ship Eleanor,
Captain W. H. Edwards, from Penang, Jan. 15.—Ditto.
Brig Dolphin, Chief Officer M. Preday, from Analahoo,
Feb. 11.—March 2. Brig Lady Munro, Capt. G. Gahan,
from Coringa, Feb. 24.—Ditto. H. C. C. ship Neptune,
Captain J. Cumberledge, from Calcutta, Feb. 12, and In-
jeram, Feb. 28.—March 3. Brig Bucephalus, Captain J.
M. Crisp, from Rangoon, Feb. 24.
DETAIITUEES.—Feb. 2S. Ship Eliza Ann, Captain J.
Poulson, for the Southern Ports.—Ditto. Brig Thistle,
Captain J. G. Lear, for Calcutta —29. Ship Copernicus,
Captain James Stevens, fur Calcutta.--March 1. Ship
Berretto Junior, Captain A. Shannon, for London.
LIST OF SHIPPING IN THE ROADS.—II. C. C. ships
Neptune, Captain J. Cuinberledge, and Frances Charlotte,
Captain J. Talbut.—Ships Lalla Rookh, Captain J. Z.
Macullum; Mary Ann, Captain M. O'Brien, and Elea-
nor, Captain W. H. Edwards,—Brigs Dolphin, Chief
Officer M. Preday ; Lady Munro, Captain G. Gahan ;
Buceplialus, Captain J. M. Crisp; Highland Chief, Capt.
J. Hill ; and Enterprise, Captain R. Cook.

Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at
the East India House, when the following ships were thus
tuned, viz. Buckinghamshire and Herefordshire, for
Bombay and China ; and the Bridgewater and Lady
Melville, for Bengal and China: to he afloat the 21st No-
vember, sail to Gravesend 7th December, stay there 30
days, and be in the Downs 12th January, 1829. Farlu-
harsan and Inglis, fur Bengal and China; and General
Kyd, for St. Helena, Bombay, and China : to be afloat
Bth December, sail to Gravesend 21st ditto, stay there 30
days, and be in the Downs 26th January, 1829. Duke
of York and Hythe, for Bengal and China : to he afloa
22d December, sail to Gravesend sth January, 1829, stay
there 30 days, and be in the Downs 10th February'. Duke
of Sussex and Atlas, for Bombay and Cha, and the
Katie Castle, for St. Helena, Prineeof Wales' Island, and
China : to be afloat sth January,. sail to Gravesend 19th
ditto, stay there SO days, and be to the Downs 24th Feb-
ruary. Thames, Windsor, and Repulse, for Madras and
China : to be afloat 19th January, sad to Gravesend 3d
February, stay there 30 days, and be in the Downs 12th
March. Vonsittart, 11 aterloo, and Scaleby Castle, for
China direct: to be afloat sth March, sail to Gravesend
20th ditto, stay there 30 days, and he in the Downs 25th
April. Lowther Castle and Charles Grant, for China
direct : to be afloat 10th March, and sail from Gravesend
at the expiration of 40 dap) from that period.

improvement.
To show bow extensively- those causes, con-
jointly, have been operating o our national dis-
advantage, I must trace back to a period of
about twenty years, the state of our clothing-,
wool, both of native growth as well as of foreign

supply.
To the time I am referring to, the supply of
foreign wool for our manufacturers w,,s ve,7
limited, and that chiefly irom Spain.
Some little, however, had begun to be intro-
duced from Germany, but the growth of Brito4
clothing wools are so large as fully to supply the •
remaining requisite quantity for our manufacture
of cloth. The export of cloth, as it has been
shown, was then nearly equal to that of the pit -
sent day, and the home consumption, it. mosr,
supposed, could not very materially differ from
that now existing, since that for the use of the
increased population during the current years,
can only fairly be estimated as one half the diffe-
rence, since the wear of woollen cloth is pi iu-
cipally confined to men ; alzd as a set off agaiAst
that, a comlderable sulistittitilon of cottons for
woollens in their to, is known to have taken

place.
These British clothing woe? Were of various
qualities; the best was from. the itfiand r3hep,
which were considered then of such nat'lonal
portance as to have the wool under special Regli--
lations. The sheep themselves were treated,
in
part, in the manner which I have before spoken
of, as having been adopted in Saxotr3,„ and carried
011 there to such excess, that of confining the
sheep in close houses, provincially " cots," but
the practice for the ITylapds was limited to that
' of " cotting" them by night, and feeding them
on hay and pear halm ; but that of the Saxons
extended to keeping them wholly confined in
winter, and feeding with corn .as well as hay.
It has been asserted that the Merino sheep
spring from the Rylands; but from this opinion I
materially differ, since
,they- vary in sonic parti-
cular points, and especially that of
i the velvet
et
faces which no other breed, except llerinos,
any rate of European sheep, possess.
The next class to the Ryland of British
clothing wool consisted in that from the South-
down and Norfolk sheep. The forNer of these,
however, possessing some superior qualities,
have since 'supplanted the latter.
BesideS these there were several varieties of
upland short-woolled sheep, the fleeces of which
were more or less applied for cloth.
About the period I have referred to a consi-
derable convulsion took place throughout
Europe, which was not without its effects in this

matter.
One of the first acts of Napoleon, after get-
ting possession of the Peninsula of Spain, was to
drive into France very large flocks of the Me-
rino sheep. The Germans had already become
possessed of some of them, by the use of which
they had begun, and have since gone on rapidly
to improve their native flocks.
At this time it was apprehended that •ve,
should be cut off from the supply of Spanig/
wool for our finest cloth, but which hitherto had
only amounted to about three million pounds,
and the quantity grown of British _Ryland wool
being very limited, in the wildness of specula-
tion,,
Spanish wool was drawn up to a price of
from 18 shillings to a guinea per pound. This
Naturally caused a great degree of excitement to
improve our native wools ; and a favourable op-
portunity was offered by the introduction of
some of the best Merino sheep from Spain.—
Extravagant expectations were formed of imme-
diate and exorbitant profits.
These expectations being disappointed; the
spirit of improving the wcol flagged, and I have
already shown, in my former observations, how
much the self-interest and prejudices of some,
and the mismanagement of others, tended in the
outset to depress this spirit of improvement.—
Other causes were also operating to prevent it.
The coarser clothing wools were in great de-
mand, and bought up at high prices for the use
of the army ; the great demand also for meat,
occasioned by the consumption and waste of war,
took off much of the pork and beef, and threw
the home consumption more on mutton ; conse-
quently large carcasses in sheep, and heavier
fleeces, even though they were coarser, were not
deemed objectionable, and in an evil hour cross-
ing those flocks of the description of Southdown,
first took place, I believe on the Western Downs,
by the use of the Berkshire sheep, a much larger
and coarser sheep both in carcase and wool, un-
kindly in disposition to fatten, and coarse in the
grain of mutton, but possessing mottled faces
.
somewhat like the Southdown sheep.
The old breed of Berkshire sheep is now
happily nearly extinct, but it has thus left a
stain behind it. Some other breeds of British
evident by
sheep had also a share in the crossing, as was
if it suits the purpose of the moment, it
of the fleece, but it is
as wun-
necessary in this place to enter on the particulars.
sheep is now within a very limited
well
as
otlleteocpleianiii,geessof frame and cc ,mtenance,
When, however, an alteration of the kind takes
place,
spreads far and wide, and is not easily reclaimed,
and I fear it will be found that the real breed of
I make this remark not as arising out.
of the evidence I have recently read, for 1 had
often expressed the same opinion before that
evidence was known ; but I offer it as the result
of long and atteNti- ,eobservation.
From habit, as well
as the interest I have felt
in the cause, I lavefor years scarcely ever passed
a flock of .1 s iort-woolled sheep in any part of the
country, or a drove from Smithfield, without my
eye ranaina over them to see their general cha-
racter,b
compass.S tbd °"
and especially as to wool ; and I flatter
myself that I can from custom at once distin-
guish between the original and the mixed South-
down breed. Let those who are acquainted with
the subject, and differ from me in opinion, look
(in a season of the year when the wool is in a
state to lead to a crrrect judgment in the matter)
at the numerous sheep which are collected by
twenty thousands in a day in that great mart
j Smithfield, and where good and bad, but mostly
the good congregate from all quarters, and then

let them rainy determine what portion.of the true
Southdown sheep, neat and small iii size, close
in body and fleece, and comparatively good in
wool, bear to those of the mixed breed.
I have dwelt thus much on this head with the
humble hope, if possible, to reconcile those dit7
ferent opinions which exist on the subject, and
to elicit the real state of the country as to its
growth of fine wool. Not, however, that lam
of opinion, if all the flocks under the denomina7
tion of Southdowns, possessed the full cha-
racter in wool of the best of those sheep, that
such wool could at present hold its former station
as clothing wool,since whilst this tOtlntry, during
the last twenty years, has neglected to improve in,
wool, others have , profited by the apathy, and
gained, I hope, only a temporary ascendancy.
'What fostering hand, or legislative measure
it may now be needful to adept, I leave to others
to determine; but, unless the wool itself be-
comes improved, I freely assert. the country will
cease to grow clothing wool. The first step to-
wards recovery of the past errors, must be by
the breeders themselves, at,a I would remind

them of the excellent fable of the Countrymae
and Hercules, and say, that whilst asking for aid,
they must put their shoulders to the wheel.
The manufacturers have said that South Down
wool may be advantageously ml ed with softer
'oreign wool, but though a -finer face than the
body of the cloth may thus be produced. The
manufacture must resemble plated ware ; but if
the fleece itself is softened, the whole will be like
a manufacture of intrinsic metal. The improve-
ment, I repeat, must commence with the breeders
themselves. The mere graziers who purchase
and sell from year to year, are governed in the
choice by that only which will yield the most profit,
and if a variety of sheep, in consequence of defect
in its wool, can be purchased at so reduced a rate
as still to yield them a profit, their temporary
interests may be served whilst the breeders from
that reduction in price must suffer, Their true
interest is to look beyond the immediate moment,
and possess a flock inheriting such a combina-
tion of good properties as may render it in the
end of sterling value. •
The different soils and various breeds of sheep
in this country, with proper attention and im-
provement, are happily suited to the wants of
loan in food and clothing. The rich grazing
,founds to feed the large loug-wooled breeds of
eheep for a supply of the coarser and heavier
mutton and wool, whilst the middle and upland
soils, which constitute by far the greatest portion
of the lands, arc adapted to the growth of short
wools and fine-grained mutton, and the best
state of agriculture can only be sustained on such
lands by the use of the sheep fold. A great
quantity of short wool must thus necessarily be
grown, and, as it is in vain to strive against the
stream, anti unprofitably to produce that for
which there is no demand, it is important that
this wool should be of a quality to meet the pur-
pose for which there is the greatest-consumption.
If the breeders in general of Southdown sheep,
were to endeavour to restore the degenerate flocks
merely by the use of rams of the best of that
kind, the progress would not only be extremely
slow, but they would, perhaps, scarcely ever ar-
rive at the point from which they had descended.,
The quickest and only means of accomplishing
improvement, even very much beyond that given
point, is by the use of such rams as inherit a very
superior wed the highest quality of wool, if that
wool be produced without artificial means, and I
have before shown that the greatest advantages,
which have taken place in fine wool, have origineted
in the Merino sheep, and that those in an improv-
ed state are well adapted far the growth of mutton
and use in the fold. I can now neither expect
soace to be allotted to so protracted an article as
it would make, nor would I 'encumber this ad-
dress with all the calculations relative to the ad-
vantages incident to the use of them in British
flocks; but, if needful, as I probably shall find it,
I will make it the subject of a future article. I
will, however, here answer one prejudice existing
among Southdown breeders against. the use of
Merinos, which is the dread that the former
will thus lose the character of black faces and
legs. This, in itself, would be a great advantage,
since I never yet coeversed with an intelligent
manufacturer who did not say that the body of
the fleece, in some degree, partook of t lose
black hairs, which lessened the value of the
wool for the manufacture of articles of light
colour, as such black hairs will not take the dye
in the same manner as white wool does. The
question, in my opinion, now is within very nar-
row compass. Whatever aid the Legislature
may or may not deem it right to afford in the
matter, that must remain for determination to
another year ; but the breeding season is now at
'hand, and it is for the flock-masters promptly to
determine whether they will, or will not, without
loss of another year, begin improvement in the
wool. That those who do first and vigorously
set about it will be the greatest gainers, I feel
the most confident assurance, and if none do,
the growing of clothing wool in this country, .as
I have already said, will become extinct. I
have heard and read much of speculative advan-
tages likely to arise fium deriving it elsewhere ;
but I have never yet met with anything in the
least convincing to me,' that, in every. point of
view, it is not most profitable, and of the greatest
national advantage, that the British isles should,-
as heretofore, grow as much as possible of cloth-
ing wool, rather than depend on a foreign supply
of it from any country whatever.
If, without the charge of egotism, I tray
be
allowed once more to refer to the successful im-
provement which has taken place in my own
flock, I will state two circumstances which have
occurred since I last offered some observations
on the subject, and I trust that I may so refer
to it with confidence, since on reading
the reported evidence, I find how very great a
difference of price the wool of it has supported
above that of any other British Merino wool.
One of the incidents which I allude to is, that
the fleeces of a select flock of Saxon sheep
have recently been sold by public, auction,
and tinder circumstances which excited consider-
able interest, and after every abatement necessary
for some difference:in the deficiency of clearness,
t hose fleeces, which only weighed half the weight
of mine, sold at a rateecorisiderably below them.
The other .circumstance . is, that. the Van
Diemen's Land Companyenot from any sugges-
tion of mine (for I was ignorant of any such in-
tention till the matter was concluded), but after
the most full inquiry and consideration, and at
the recommendation and ample investigation of
competent persons, who
were well acquainted
with the Saxon flocks and mineelse, have des
termined on the use of some of my rams for their
Saxon sheep.
In now looking back to my past labours in
this cause, I feel, if I may be Mowed to express
it, a satisfaction and glow of patriotism that,
through good times and through evil times, by
persevering to preserve and improve this flock,
a nucleus is kept and a scion is preserved in this
country at once capable of greatly extending un-