The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-03-06

was enabled to get two hundred sheep from
Spain into Portugal, and they were sent to
Figueira, at the mouth of the Mondego, and
thence shipped to the United States. From
what flock he obtained them | never could
learn, though | enquired number of times
but as Spanish Estramadura and Leon border
on Portugal from 80 of latitude to the
northern boundary of Portugal, and as no
other than the Leonesa trashumantees are
found in that part Of Spain there can be but
little doubt that they belonged TO that race.
| attempted, in 1906, also i'll 1907, TO obtain
some from the most celebrated 1ocks but the
| laws were so strict against their expectation
without royal license that | failed of success.
After the French invasion in 1903, the laws
became more relaxed, and in 1900, by special
favor, obtained two hundred escurials. At
the second invasion of the French, under Jo-
! seph Bonaparte, the rapidity of the march of
! the French troops hurried the Supreme Jun
ia from Madrid and they retired 10 Badajos.
Being without money and being afraid of dis
gushing the Estramadurans, by levying tax
upon them, they were compelled to sell four
of the first Gocks in Spain, which had been
confscated in consequence of the proprietors
joining the French. These were the Paul
ar previously owned by the Prince OF
! Peace, the Negretti, previously owned by
the Condo Del Campo de Alange, the Ague-
irras, which had been owned by the Condo Of
the same name. and the the MOntarco, owned
! by the Condo de MOntarco, and were such
/ sheep as could not have been got our of Spain,
| had it not been for the invasion Of the French
and the distracted state of the country grow
/ ing out of that invasion. When the Junta
- ba nf HON
| granting licences 10 carry them out of the
( the kingdom. Four thousand of the Paular
flock were sent to England for the king; ard
/ Col. Downie, a Scotch officer in the British
service, but who then held the rank of Gene
raj in the Spanish service, and !, purchased
the remainder of the flock, between three and
four thousand more, and of this purchase |
took fourteen hundred, and he sent the rest
TO Scotland with the exception of two or three
hundred, which he sold tc come TO this coun-
try. Sir Charles Stewart purchased the Ne
gretti flock and sent them TO England with
the exception of about a hundred | got out of
his flock after they reached Lisbon. l pur-
chased about seventeen hundred of the All
gueirras flock ofthe Junta and the remainder
was sold and sent to England. The Montar-
CO flock was bought by Spaniard and a Por-
tugues and about two thousand seven humid
red were shipped to this country, | shipped
10 the United States, the fourteen hundred
Paulars, one thousand seven hundred Agueir-
ras, two hundred Escurial. one hundred Neg
rettis and about two hundred Montarcos. OF
this number about one hundred were sent TO
Wiscassen and Portland, one thousand one
hundred TO Boston and Newburyport, one
thousand five hundred to New York, three
~,
died and fifty 10 Baltimore, one hundred to
Alexandria, and two hundred to Norfolk and
( Richmond. Besides those which | shipped
/ to the United States on my own account,
/ there were about three hundred Guadalopes
purchased by others and from . hundred to 2
hundred of the Paular flock sold by Gen.
! Downie, shipped to Boston; and of the Mon
/ tarco flock, shipped by others, about two
thousand five hundred were sent to Bos-
! ton, Providence, New York Philadelphia, Bal
/ timore and Savannah. The Guadalopes,
/ Paulars and Montarcos, which were shipped
TO Boston by others, were for the account OF
Gorham Parsons, Esq. Gen. Sumner, Dea
Tichenor and L. I'll. Derby, Esq. All these
sheep were shipped in the latter part of 1909
during 1Sl0 and the early part of 1911. and
, were the only Leonesa trashumantes, five in
ingstons (which have no doubt were of the
same stock) that were ever shipped to the
United States. Badaios is bur little over one
hundred miles from Lisbon, and all the sheer
purchased there and in that vicinity. were
shipped from Lisbon. was then Consul
there, and from my Office was accurately &C.
quainted with all the shipmentsas certificates Of
property from me always accompanied them
/ have been thus minute, because a writer
without signature, in the Albany agriculture
paper within two or three months, has pre-
tended with much flourish, to give a history
of the importation of nernOs into this cOun-
try, for the benefit of posterty. Two qualf
cations are essential for an historical writer
The first is a thorough knowledge OF his sub
iect, the second great impartiality. But Sc
far from correctly informing posterity, thi:
writer has himself displayed great ignorance,
or gross want of impartiality, as the above
facts, mostly taken from papers in my posses
sion. when compared with his statements
will clearly show.
| shall now. in compliance with your wishe:
give you description Of the sheep of the diff
ferent focks sent TO this country. The Paul
ars were undoubtedly one of the handsome
Aocks in Spain They were of middlng
3 helgnt, round Do3ied, wen spread, sUaig n
on the back, the neck of the bucks rising ii
a moderate curve from the withers to the
setting on Of the head, their head handsome
with aquiIine curve of the nose, with short
fine glossy hair on the face, and generally hail
on the legs, the skin pretty smooth, that is
not rolling up or doubling about the neck ant
body, as in some other iocks, the crimp il
the wool was notso short as in many othe
flocks, the wool was somewhat longer, but j
was close and compact and was soft and silky
to the touch, and the surface was not so much
covered with gum. This flock was original,
owned by the Carthusian Friars, of Paular
who were the best agriculturists in Spain
and was sold by that order TO the Prince o
Peace when he came into power. The Neg
retti flock were the tallest merinos in Spain
but were not handsomely formed, being rattle
fiat sided, roach backed and the neck inclin
to sink down from the withers, the wool wa
somewhat shorter than the Paular and mort
loose and inclined TO double, and many o
them were wooded on their face and leg
down to their hoofs, all the loose skinned
!, sheep had large dewlaps. The Agueirra:
. were short legged round broad hodied. witt