few letters extant, entirely in his own hand-writing. He wrote the following on the head of a drum, amid the smoking ruins of Tourtoukaya; to the field-marshal Romanzoff, to announce to him the taking of that place: Slawoo Bogon, slawo bowan ! Glory to God! Glory to thee! Tourtaukaya woiala, ia tam. Tourtoukaya taken is, by me. Whatever came from his pen had the same characteristick energy and conciseness. Usually, he gave the subject of his letters to one of his staff officers; who, from his instructions, wrote them, and brought them to him for his signature. He was in the habit of frequently haranguing his troops; but he had not, on those occasions, the same merit of conciseness. His orations lasted an hour, sometimes two; even in the middle of winter “I recollect," says the author, "that one day, in the month of January, on the parade in the grand square of Warsaw, it was eleven o'clock, a body of ten thousand men, formed in a hollow square, filled that place. The cold was intense, a penetrating sleet fell from the icy heavens. In the middle of that square battalion, the Marshal, clad only in his white dimity jacket, began his usual harangue. He soon perceived that the inclemency of the season made his speech appear much too long; and hereupon he determined to make it last two hours. Every hearer returned to quarters benumbed with cold; and almost every soul, generals, officers, soldiers, and all, took cold. The marshal escaped the disorder, notwithstanding his dimity jacket. I seldom saw him so gay. Perpetual coughings echoed through his apartments. This pleased him highly. He enjoyed himself in the idea, that he had given his army the example of bidding defiance to faúgues, to winter and all its horrours." Though we do not profess to have been in the habit of epistolary corres pondence with marshal Souworow, yet having an impression of his seal in our possession, we shall attempt to convey some idea of the composition comprised in it to our readers: in an English nobleman it would be deemed a singularity. The shield is square, divided into five principal compartments: in the upper of which is the imperial eagle, over its head a crown; in its right claw a sceptre, in its left a globe; the field is or. In the compartment to the right, a plume of three feathers, with a kind of broach marked K. The field purpure: a very broad bend, on which is a heart, separates this from three cannon mounted, on a field vert. In the compartment to the left, out of a cloud issue three forked lightnings and strike a falling crescent: the field azure; a band, inscribed RHYMNKI, separates this from two swords cros sed, tied together by a wreath, on a field gules: the centre is charged with a smaller shield, also square; in the right compartment of which is a coat of mail, and round it, the word BERHOCTI: the left compartment contains a sword crossed by an arrow, motto BABERVN. The main shield rests on two kettle drums (below) and two marshal's staffs (above). The supporters are two lions rampant, standing on a bracket, from which depend the ribands and stars of all the orders obtained by this war iour; in number ten: the imperial eagle with two marshal's staffs crossed on its breast, forming a center. The whole of this is on a spreading mantle, gules, furred ermine; surmounted with a large coronet. The height of this seal is two inches and a quarter: the breadth is one inch and seven eighths. It is not in our power to identify the different orders pendent from the front of this bracket; neither do we know whether they are arranged in any order of precedence; or in the order of donation. The following character of the celebrated Whitfield is extracted from Jay's Memoirs of Cornelius Winter, a work lately published. HE used too much severity to young people, and required too much from them. He connected circumstances too humiliating with publick services, in a young man with whom he could take liberty; urging that it was necessary as a curb to the vanity of human nature, and referred to the young Roman orators, who af ter being exalted by applauses, were sent upon the most trifling errands. His maxim was, if you love me you will serve me disinterestedly. Hence he settled no certain income, or a very slender one upon his dependants, many of whom were sycophants, and while they professed to serve him, underhandedly served themselves effectually. Under this defect his charity in Georgia was materially injured; owing to the wrong conduct of some who insinuated themselves into his favour by humouring his weakness, and letting him act and speak without contradiction. He was impatient of contradiction: but this is a fault to be charged upon almost all great people. I could mention some. He was not happy in his wife; but I fear some who had not all the religion they professed, contributed to his infelicity. He did not intentionally make his wife unhappy. He always preserved great decency and decorum in his conduct towards her. Her death set his mind much at h berty. She certainly did not behave in all respects as she ought. She could be under no temptation from his conduct towards the sex; for he was a very pure man, a strict example of the chastity he inculcated upon others. No time was to be wasted; and his expectations generally went before the ability of his servants to perform his commands. He was very exact to the time appointed for his stated meals; a few minutes delay would be considered a great fault. He was irritable, but soon appeased. Not patient enough one day to receive a made a purchase but he paid the money immediately; for small aricles the money was taken in the hand. He was truly generous, and geldom denied relief. More was expected from him than was meet. He was tenacious in his friendship, and when the transition of Providence moved from prosperity to adversity, he moved with it to abide by his friend. He felt sensibly when he was deserted, and would remark: "The world and the church ring changes." Disap pointed by many, he had not sufficient confidence in mankind; and hence I believe it was, he dreaded the thought of outliving his usefulness. He often dined among his friends, usually connected a comprehensive prayer with his thanksgiving when the table was dismissed, in which he noticed particular cases relative to the family and never protracted his visit long af ter dinner. He appeared often tired of popularity; and said, he almost envied the man who could take his choice of food at an eating house, and pass unnoticed. He apprehended he should not glorify God in his death by any remarkable testimony, and was desirous to die suddenly. The following is an extract of a letter from the Rev. David Scurlocke, to Mr. John Nichols, who has lately published a work, entitled, The Epistolary Correspondence of Sir Richard Steele, &c. The letter is dated Lovehill Farm, Langley, December 24, 1784. STEELE and Addison wrote the Spectators, &c. &c. chiefly in the room where I now write. They rented the house of my father for occasional retirement, and kept a housekeeper between them. It happened that this housekeeper proved to be in a situation that could not escape the prying eye of slanderous observation; when Steele asked Addison, very gravely, what they should do in such a dreadful predicament? Why," says Ad dison," since it is now past remedy, there is nothing to be done but this: if it proves to be a black child, you shall take it; if a fair one, the care of it shall fall to my lot." Though I have lately built a new house here, I have religiously reser ved this old part, which is attached to it, and have made it my Sanctum Sanctorum. Oh! that it would inspire me with the genius that once inhabited it! FROM THE PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE. Some circumstances relative to Merino Sheep, chiefly collected from the Spanish Shepherds, who attended those of the Flock of Paular, lately presented to His Majesty by the Government of Spain; with Particulars respecting that great National Acquisition; and also respecting the Sheep of the Flock of Negrete, imported from Spain by His Majesty in the Year 1791. By Sir JOSEPH BANKS. Soho Square, February 18, 1809. SIR JOHN, AT a time like the present, when Spanish wools, though at a price unheardof in the annals of traffick, still continue to find a market; thus clearly proving, that their value, in the estimation of the consumer, is far above any price that has been hitherto offered for them by the manufacturer; and when we must all agree, that the interruption of our trade with Spain may still continue for some time longer, I trust that a paper written with a view to facilitate the production of this valuable article in the United Kingdom, and to communicate some information relative to the important present of Merino sheep lately received by our most gracious Sovereign from the government of Spain, will be in teresting to you, sir. I beg the favour of From Communications to the Board of Agriculture. yon, in case you shall approve it, to do me I have the honour to be, sir, JOSEPH BANKS. Sir John Sinclair, Bart. President of the Board of Agriculture. for that purpose, pass their summer in the elevated country, which supplies them with abundance of rich grass; and they do not leave the moun tains till the frost of September begins to damage the herbage. A flock in the aggregate is called a. cavana. This is divided into as many subdivisions, as there are thousands of sheep belonging to it; each sheep, besides being sear-marked in the face with a hot iron when young, is bran ded after every shearing with a broad pitch brand, generally of the first let each subdivision is distinguished from the rest by the part of the sheep's body on which this mark is placed. A considerable part of Estremadura, Leon, and the neighbouring provinces of Spain, is appropriated to the maintenance of the Merino flocks, called by the Spaniards traster of the name of the proprietor, and humantes, as are also broad green roads, leading from one province to the other, and extensive resting-pla ces, where the sheep are baited on the road. So careful is the police of the country to preserve them during their journeys from all hazard of disturbance or interruption, that no person, not even a foot passenger, is suffered to travel upon these roads while the sheep are in motion, unless he belongs to the flocks. The country on which the sheep are depastured, both in the southern and the northern parts, is set out into divisions, separated from each other by land marks only, without any kind of fences. Each of these is called a dehesa, and is of a size capable of maintaining a flock of about a thousand sheep; a greater number of course, in the south country, where the lambs are reared, and fewer in the north country, where the sheep arrive after the flock has been culled. Every proprietor must possess as many of these in each province as will maintain his flock. In the temperate season of winter and spring, the flocks remain in Estremadura, and there the ewes bring forth their lambs in December. As soon as the increasing heats of April and May have scorched up the grass, and rendered the pasturage scanty, they commence their march towards the mountains of Leon; and, after having been shorn on the road, at vast establishments called esquileos, erected By the laws of the mesta, each cavana must be governed by an officer called mayoral; for each subdivision of a thousand sheep, five shepherds and four dogs are appointed. Some of these inferiour shepherds ob tain the office of rabadon, the duty of which is to give a general superintendance under the control of the mayo ral, also to prescribe and administer medicines to the sick sheep. At the time of travelling, and when the ewes are yeaning, one or two extra shepherds are allowed for each thousand sheep. The number of Merino sheep in Spain is estimated by Burgoyne at 6,000,000; these of course must be attended by 30,000 shepherds, and 24,000 dogs at ordinary times, and they find occasional employment for 5 or 10,000 additional persons in the seasons of lambing and of travelling. In their journey, each subdivision is attended by its own shepherds and dogs, and kept separate, as far as may be, from all others. The duty of the dogs is to chase the wolves, who are always upon the watch when the sheep are on the road, and are more wily than our foxes. They are taught also, when a sick sheep lags behind, unobserved by the shepherds, to stay with and defend it, till some one returns back in search of it. There are, besides, in each subdivision about six tame wethers, called mansos. These wear bells, and are obedient to the voices of the shepherds, who frequently give them small pieces of bread. Some of the shepherds lead; the mansos are always near them, and this disposes the flock to follow. Every sheep is well acquainted with the situation of the dehesa to which its subdivision belongs, and will at the end of the journey go straight to it, without the guidance of the shepherds. Here the flock grazes all the day under the eyes of the attendants. When the evening comes on, the sheep are collected together, and they soon lie down to rest. The shepherds and their dogs then lie down on the ground round the flock, and sleep, as they term it, under the stars, or in huts that afford little shelter from inclement weather; and this is their custom all the year, except that each is allowed, in his turn, an absence of about a month, which he spends with his family; and it is remarkable, that the families of these shepherds reside entirely in Leon. The shepherds who came with his majesty's flock were questioned on the subject of giving salt to their sheep. They declared that this is only done in the hottest season of the year, when the sheep are on the mountains; that in September it is left off; and that they dare not give salt to ewes forward with lambs, being of opinion that it causes abortion. It is scarcely credible, though it appears on the best authority to be true, that under the operation of the laws of the nesta, which confide the care of the sheep to the management of their shepherds, without admitting any interference on the part of the proprietor, no profit of the flock comes to the hands of the owner, except what is derived from the wook The carcases of the culled sheep are consumed by the shepherds, and it The shepherds, on discovering the drift of the questions put to them on this head, said that in settling the wages of the does not appear that any account is rendered by them to their employers, of the value of the skins, the tallow, &c. The profit derived by a proprietor from a flock, is estimated on an ave rage at about one shilling a head, and the produce of a capital vested in a flock is said to fluctuate between five and ten per cent. The sheep are always low kept. It is the business of each mayoral to increase his flock to as large a number as the land allotted to it can possibly maintain. When it has arrived at that pitch, all further increase is useless, as there is no sale for these sheep, unless some neighbouring flock has been reduced by mortality below its proper number. The most of the lambs are, therefore, every year killed as soon as they are yeaned, and each of those preserved is made to suck two or three ewes; the shepherds say, that the wool of a ewe that brings up her lamb without assistance is reduced in its value. At shearing time the shepherds, shearers, washers, and a multitude of unnecessary attendants, are fed upon the flesh of the culled sheep; and it seems that the consumption occasioned by this season of feasting is sufficient to devour the whole of the sheep that are draughted from the flock. Mutton in Spain is not a favourite food; in truth, it is not in that country prepared for the palate as it is in this. We have our lamb-fairs, our hogfairs, our shearling-fairs, our fairs for culls, and our markets for fat sheep; where the mutton, having passed through these different stages of preparation, each under the care of men whose soil and whose skill are best suited to the part they have been taught by their interest to assign to themselves, is offered for sale; and if fat and good, it seldom fails to command a price by the pound, from five to ten per cent. dearer than that of shearers and washers, at the esquileos, allowance is made for the mutton with which they are fed. |