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Eight Fleeces
to England Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser 26 March
1803 |
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Governor
to send Eight Fleeces, shorn from among his Sheep, to England, by His
Majesty's Ship Buffalo, for the Inspection and opinion of Sir Joseph Banks,
President of the Royal Society, an official answer to which being received by
the Glatton, we have great pleasure in being authorised to communicate his answer. Description
of eight fleeces of wool, presented to His Excellency Governor King. No. I.
Fleece of a ewe, imported from the Cape of Good Hope, said to be of the
Spanish Breed. No. II.
Fleece of a ram of one year old, bred from No. I. No. III.
Fleece of a ewe bred in the Colony, from No. I. No. IV.
Fleece of a ram of one year old from No. III. No. V.
Fleece of a ewe imported from Ireland. No. VI.
Fleece of a ram of one year old, bred from No. V. by
a Spanish ram. No. VII.
Hair of a ewe of the Bengal Breed. No. VIII.
Fleece of a wether of 18-months old, bred from No.
VII. by a Spanish ram. The whole
of the fleeces would have been considerably longer, had been shorn from the
sheep a month hence; particularly Nos. II and IV for they are only of 8
months growth; the two young rams having been short last January, at the time
they were weaned. Remarks on
the above. No. I. It
appears by the Fleece to be a real Spanish breed, though a little hairy in
the flank, and a small matte in the forehead; the fleece very good, worth,
when scow ered, 4s. per
pound, if not more. No. II.
Nearly as good as the King's Spanish Wool at Oatlands;
quite free from hair, and of an excellent quality; worth 5s. per pound; and, could the Colony produce such kind of
wools, it would be a great acquisition to our Manufactory in England. No. III.
Quite different from its mother No. I, about the quality of the Wilshore Fleece of bred, runs coarse towards the rump and
breech, little or nothing of Spanish Breed. No. IV.
Rather a better quality than No. III, not so coarse on the rump and breech;
nothing scare to be seen of the Spanish Breed in the wool from this fleece. No. V.
Very course wool, about the quality of value of Dorsetshire
coarse Wools, at this time value 1s. per pound, in
England. No. VI. A
deal more of the Spanish Ram than Nos. III, or IV, much improved by the
Spanish Ram. No. VIII,
Bengal Ewe, the Hair only fit for the bricklayers to mix among mortar to
build their houses with in the Colony. No, VIII,
This wether sheep's wool is much mended by the
Spanish Ram, though it is a pity Spanish Rams should be so thrown aways to to put them to any
such kind of sheep, it has made the hair hang together to what the ewes wool
were. Sir, The above numbers and fleeces with I have examined of the different
qualities, if they could preserve Nos, I and II,
for their breed in the Colony, I think they may make a good progress in their
breed and wools. I Remain Sir, Your Obedient
Servant, H. Laycock. |