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land and Holland, respecting the injurious effects arising to sheep, from feeding while the dew is on the grass, and justly attributes the opinion to the shepherds who wished to abridge their labour as much as possible, by keeping up the sheep until the dew was sublimed. In England, he remarks, sheep are out night and day. In America, they feed with most avidity when the dew is on the grass.

Mr. Livingston objects to the practice of washing Merino sheep before shearing. Their fleeces are so thick as to render it impossible to cleanse them on the sheep's back. Colds and fatal purgings are often induced by the practice. Shearing is to be performed in warm and settled weather. As Merinos never shed their wool, like all other sheep, the farmer is not compelled to shear at an inconvenient season. In prepar ing wool for spinning, the various sorts are to be kept separate; and they should not be kept long on hand without washing, as it is liable, to spoil. Numerous other remarks are made, on shearing; and on circumstances likely to affect the health of the sheep; on castrating, docking, marking and weaning lambs; all of which are highly important, and deserve the serious attention of the farmer.

On the subject of the degeneracy of the Merino breed of sheep in the United States, Mr. Livingston speaks confidently. A ram of last spring, out of an imported ewe, is not only of uncommon size and beauty, but his fleece finer than any he has seen; and is also long and abundant, having weighed nine pounds 6 ounces.* The common opinion that fine wool is only to be met with in Spain, is highly absurd. The wool of Rambouillet (the national farm of France) is finer than that imported from Spain; and Dr. Parry makes the same re

mark of the Merino wool of England. After the fourth generation no difference is to be discerned between the fleeces of the descendants and the original stock. "It follows then, that any farmer may, in the space of six or seven years, convert his common flock into Merinos, with this great advantage; that during the whole of his progress he is annually adding to the value of his fleeces, and selling off old sheep instead of lambs, thus reimbursing himself for the expense of his ram, which is the only extra expense he has sustained; and he is also parting with a number of male lambs, at a higher price than he was accustomed to receive from those of his old stock. Supposing the flock to consist of fifty ewes, and fifty wethers and rams, and that thirty five are sold yearly, the clear profit will be seventy dollars upon one hundred sheep. A half blood flock will bring, in the increase of quantity and value of the fleece, one dollar and more upon each sheept even counting the sales of lambs at the rate of common sheep. The second year, then, the purchaser of a ram will receive one hundred and seventy dollars profit, instead of seventy. When the flocks are three fourths bred, his wool will rise to eighty one cents the pound; and this will give a profit of one dollar and fifty cents per head, beyond the value of his old fleece, or one hundred and fifty dollars added to the price of sheep sold, at seventy, bringing his profit to two hundred and twenty dollars, clear of all expense. When his flock consists of seven-eights bred sheep, his wool will rise to one dollar and twenty five cents per pound. Supposing the fleeces of his ewes and wethers, taken together, to weigh three and a half pounds, his flock will bring him, after deducting all expenses, which I rate at one dollar and fifty cents per head,

*This wool could be sold in New York, for two dollars per pound.

"The difference of profit between the half bred and the common sheep at Mr. Livingston's last shearing, was two dollars and six cents per head."

two dollars and seventy five cents each, exclusive of lambs, that is, two hundred and seventy five dollars, which added to the sheep sold, seventy dollars, makes a clear profit of three hundred and forty five dollars annually. When his flock are full bred, he will receive two dollars per pound for his wool, which at three and half pounds the fleece,* will give him seven dollars per head, or deducting the keeping, five and a half dollars; that is five hundred and fifty dollars, added to sheep sold, seventy, making an annual profit of six hundred and twenty dollars, instead of seventy, which his common sheep would have brought him." This statement, which on the very face of it carries conviction, would appear sufficiently encouraging to the farmer, to lose no time in changing his stock. But Mr. Liv. ingston goes further, and says, that in the above statement, nothing is allowed for the increased value of the lambs sold, lest it should be said, that no sale may offer for them. "This, however, is an errour. In a country so rapidly increasing as ours, and which does not grow one fifth of the wool necessary for its own consumption, there will be a demand for lambs for at least twenty years, at an advanced price, so that I have no hesitation in saying, that the profit upon the lambs will be more than equal to that of the wool. To state the account fairly then, the annual profit should be doubled. Provided the farmer sets out with the best stock, and takes care to breed only from good ewes, he will find demand for any number he may wish to part with." Neither will the price of wool fall. Because, "besides our own, there will be a foreign demand. This wool now sells in England at seven shillings and three pence sterling."t

Mr. Livingston then proceeds to show by a detail of the numerous

expenses attending the importation of British cloth, that they amount to but little short of cent. per cent. and asks "what an immense saving to the United States, to cultivate a breed of sheep which will furnish materials for an article on which they now pay one hundred per cent. But how much greater will be the profit, if he manufactures his wool into fine cloth for the market? I will venture to say, that cloth of ten dollars the yard, may, in this way, be made, superiour in quality to British cloth, for three dollars per yard, of seven quarters wide, and give the farmer a profit of three dollars per pound for his wool, after allowing one dollar as a commission to the shopkeepers who sell the cloth." These facts are certainly very encouraging.

"To those who are unacquainted with Spanish wool, it may be proper to mention the manner in which it should be treated, before they attempt to convert it into yarn. First, it should be carefully sorted; that on the neck, shoulders, back, and sides, is the finest; that on the rump is almost equally as fine in the full bred sheep, but not in the mixed breeds; the thighs and belly, the top of the head and forelock furnish a third sort. When sorted, it should be put into a vat, and pressed down, so as not to float when covered with water. In this state the vat should be filled with clean soft water, mixed with one third urine, and left to soak for about twelve or fifteen hours, or longer if the weather is cold. A cauldron is then put on the fire, with a portion of soft water, and to this is added two thirds of the water that covers the fleece; when it is so hot that the hand cannot bear it, the wool is to be taken in convenient parcels, and put in an open basket, moving it about gently, so as not to twist it, for the space of two or three minutes; it is then suffered to drain into the caul

Mr. Livingston's averaged upwards of five pounds the ewe's fleece.

The last price quoted from London, is twenty six shillings. Superfine cloths are twelve dollars per yard in Philadelphia. Rav.

dron, so as not to carry off the water; and when the whole is washed, it must be cleansed in running water. If the water in the cauldron gets too foul, it must be thrown away, and replenished with more liquor from the vat. This mode of washing preserves in the wool a certain portion of its grease, which makes it spin easier. When washed, it may either be dried in the shade (the sun rendering it harsh, if too hot) or what is better, it may be pressed in a cider press, which dries it much quicker. When quite dry, it should be laid upon cribbles, and beaten with a brush of rods, which softens it, and takes out a great proportion of the dust and hay seeds. It is then picked carefully, not as common wool is, but by opening the flocks, which are in some measure, tied together at the ends, and taking care not to break the wool to pieces. To fit it for spinning, it should be greased with neat's foot oil, and carded with cotton cards; wool cards being too coarse; and, except the carding mill is particularly fitted for it, and perfectly clean from common wool, it will run into knots, and be spoiled if carded in it. For domestick manufactures, from Spanish wool, I would therefore recommend the carding at home by hand." From experiments, Mr. Livingston is inclined to believe, if it is carefully picked, so as to leave no hay seeds in the wool, and to open it perfectly before it is carded, that the finest thread may be made of unwashed wool. The yarn should not be washed before it is wove; the grease adds to the strength, and renders it unnecessary to size the warp, as is usually done; more allowance should, however, be made for shrinking. Merino wool, he adds, must not be carded too much; and "the warp and the woof must be spun in contrary directions, as both open a little; and the object of fulling is to unite the ends of the wool, so as to raise the knapp. If they untwisted the same way, they would unite less

than if they met each other. This operation is effected by spinning the one with an open band, that is, a band that turns the spindle in the same direction with the wheel, the other with a cross band, which turns the spindle in a contrary direction. The woof must be spun as loose as possible, and a fourth of the weight of wool used in spinning it; for the warp one eighth will answer. Coarse wool requires but little grease.

In a "Miscellaneous Chapter," Mr. L. gives the apellative of the sheep a kind of technical language, universally adopted in England, and certainly attended with use. Some remarks follow on gestation, lambs at a birth, choice of rams, folding, signs of health, season of lambs falling, food, use of salt; and closes with Coolly's table of British sheep. In an appendix, he gives a short description of the diseases of sheep, which he has witnessed in New York, with their method of cure. The number is very small, but few as they are, they deserve the serious attention of the sheep farmer. He also gives the method of bleeding sheep, with a scheme by Dr. De Witt, for transmuting a flock of one hundred common ewes, and their issues, into Merino sheep. The work closes with a very interesting table of the last sheep shearing of the author, and with the profit and loss. This table has already been very generally circulated by means of the newspapers; having formed part of a publick letter, from Mr. Livingston to Dr. Bard; but was, unfortunately, very incorrectly printed. By the table as now given, it appears that the loss upon each head of common American sheep, per year, is three cents, while the gain upon the half bred ewes is two dollars; which increases in proportion to the depth of the blood, until it amounts to the large sums of 17 25, 16 50, and 11 50, for the full blood.

Upon the whole, the work has afforded us the highest satisfaction, and we hope it will be universally

read by all farmers. The legislature of New York has done itself great honour by printing it at the expense of the state; and we pray that so wise an example map be followed by

all those legislatures which, although composed principally of farmers, have hitherto done but little to promote the all important cause of agriculture.

ORIGINAL.

[FOR THE SELECT REVIEWS.]

Letters supposed to have passed between M. De St. Evremond and Mr. Waller, cpllected and published by Doctor Langhorne. To which is prefixed, a biographical Sketch. 12mo. Coale and Thomas, Baltimore, 1809.

THE writer of the introduction to this collection, intimates the forgery of the hitherto supposed letters of lord Littleton. We are disposed to agree in this opinion. Lord Littleton never composed letters for the publick; and in these, the elaborate elegance of the style and accuracy of diction, are marks of the lima labor too manifest to escape the most undiscerning. There seems to be no question that they were prepared for the publick eye. Yet, how happily has the author imitated those flashes of fancy and scintillations of wit, together with that loose and libertine strain of discourse for which this youthful lord was distinguished and reproached! Such is the airy and sprightly manner, and such the easy and familiar grace with which these letters are adorned, that in reading them we flatter ourselves with having gained the nearest possible approach to the character and heart of the author. We are made acquainted with the errours of his understanding and the misguided fervour of his passions. The lively interest excited in the reader has power almost sufficient to disarm the stern reproof of the critick, and to silence the more serious remonstrances of the moralist. There was a boldness of eccentricity in the manners and principles of lord Littleton, that dazzled and captivated. We are surprised to find the total absence of religious principle accompanied by powers of fascination, which can

throw a veil of elegance over the deformity of impiety. To detect and substantiate then the imposture of these letters will be to rob them of a secret and powerful charm. Yet, we feel no hesitation in saying, that should the forgery be clearly and indisputably established, they will, notwithstanding, continue to be read as patterns of lively wit and exquisite composition. To the young, these letters are peculiarly dangerous. If the Circæn smile of pleasure is of itself capable of enchanting them beyond resistance, what must be the force of its fascination when aided by the charms of genius and wit? To those in whom age and reflection have tempered the ardour of the passions, these letters will be a further confirmation of a truth they may have gleaned from a knowledge of mankind, that great elegance and refinement of mind and brilliancy of accomplishment, are often employed to disguise the darkest and most detestable principles in the heart.

The letters of St. Evremond and Waller, are avowedly the production of Dr. Langhorne. They are, therefore, ushered into the world with a less auspicious introduction. Whatever respect may be entertained for Dr. Langhorne, as a writer, few are inclined to believe that the grave translator of Plutarch possessed the fine imagination of Waller, or the sprightly wit of St. Evremond. The fascinating spell is broken at the commencement. We do not expect

to find what St. Evremond and Waller actually wrote, but what they might or perhaps would have written. Concerning the claim this kind of writing has to be ranked among the legitimate species of composition, we have some doubts. At this period of literature, the arts of writing have become so universal an accomplishment, and knowledge and information so very nearly stationary, that many have availed themselves of the stratagem of seeing a short lived fame through the medium of imposture. This spirit of falsifying has also gone forth among the regions of poetry. Macpherson, Mickle, and lord Strangford, have come into notice, under the convoy of Celtick and Portuguese colours. Having got once fairly before the publick view, they have maintained that post and supported their claim to admiration, by the high merit of their performances. The Lusiad of Camoens has some passages of force and majesty. But the general strain of that poem borders on a dry and inanimate simplicity. Under the rich embroidery of Mickle's fancy, however, the rudeness as well as the character of the Portuguese bard wholly disappears. Lord Strangford has ventured before the publick with more effrontery, and has impudently cited the first words of every sonnet and canzonet he has translated, and thereby invited detection. We cannot, however, regret the disingenuousness of these two poets which, instead of bald and meagre translations, has presented us with masterly and original poems. But should the present rage for ideal translations and epistles increase, we may expect soon to be presented with complete versions of all the Icelandick and Scandinavian poets, and in reading the correspondence of two distinguished wits, who flourished before the building of the ark, be surprised to find ourselves introduced to the acquaintance of a circle of beaux, esprits and fashionables, who maintained the polish and eti

quette of some antideluvian court. In this age, when the vestibule of the temple of Fame is crowded with votaries of every character and description, it may be allowed to one or two happy geniuses to deviate from the high road that leads to its entrance, to snatch a chaplet which others had not dared to contend for. But frequent departures from the customary and established modes of writing produce a vitious and corrupted taste, and have a tendency to mislead the unskilful and uninformed. They substitute a fallacious standard in place of just and approved models of composition, and withdraw the attention from beauties of a permanent lustre, to fix it on such as are false and transient.

Let us then review the letters, and see if their vindication can be established on their intrinsick merits. Besides the disadvantage of appearing as the avowed productions of Dr. Langhorne, these letters are subjected to another inconvenience, the diffe culty, in one writer, of sustaining two characters, and preserving them distinct throughout a series of epistles. This not only requires a thorough conception of the force and delicacy of expression, but also strong powers of discrimination, and a lively perception of those distinctive shades of character, which are not obvious to ordinary intellects. When the author too is avowedly known, it subjects him to the appearance of egotism; for what else are those compliments which Waller and St. Evremond mutually exchange, and of which they are so lavish. This obstacle the author of Littleton's Letters (if they are a forgery) had not to encounter in his road to fame. Industrious to exhibit only one character, he has caught the very passions and sentiments of the mind whose character he designed to portray. He stood at no hazard of mingling his colouring, or of giving a homogenious tint and complexion to a double piece.

The characters of Waller and St.

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