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the militia.-Persons are not exempted by hav

wards more general steps; and have ing in the militia under any acts relating to thrown out these hints, that we may not be thought wanting in so important a parting found substitutes or paid fines in the militia. Persons enrolled, to take the following oath :

of our duty to the public, as that which is so very intimately connected with our HOME DEFENCE..

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This England never did (nor never shall)
Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror,
But when it first did help to wound itself.
Come the three corners of the world in arms,
And we shall shock them: nought shall make

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A Bill for enabling His Majesty to establish · a permanent Local Militia Force, under certain Restrictions, for the Defence of The Realm.

By this bill His Majesty is empowered to establish and maintain a local force for the defence of the realm; in such counties, or in any such divisions or parts of any counties, and in such proportions as His Majesty shall specify, according to the provisions of this act.Not to exceed times the quota of militia including volunteers.-Deficiencies in effective volunteers, to be supplied by militia under this act. Counties may be divided into such number of divisions as there are regiments to be raised in such county, regard being had to the number of persons liable to serve and the establishment of each regiment, and all other circumstances of local convenience.-Powers of militia acts extended to this act.-Men to be ballotted out of the pre-sent militia lists, or new lists may be made.Persons of bodily inability shall be excused.

No articled clerk or apprentice, nor any poor man who has more than one child born in wedlock, nor any person who shall be of the height of or upwards, shall by reason thereof respectively be exempt from being ballotted and serving under this act, notwithstanding such persons may, by reason of coming within any of such descriptions as aforesaid, respectively be exempt from serv

I, A. B. do sincerely promise and swear, that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George; and that I will faithfully serve in the local militia of within Great Britain, for the defence

years

of the same, during the time of for which I am enrolled, unless I shall be sooner discharged. So help me God." Penalty on persons not appearing.

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If a person not having an income, amount ing in the whole to one hundred pounds, the sum of.. ; and if not amounting in the whole to fifty pounds, the sum of and the payment of such fine shall exempt such person from being ballotted and enrolled under this act for years and no longer; and such person shall be liable to be ballotted in the year succeeding that after which he shall have been so ballotted as aforesaid, and in like manner to serve or pay such fine as aforesaid, and so in each second succeeding year.

Person claiming exemption upon payment of smaller fine, to sign a declaration of the amount of his income before the deputy lieutenants before whom he shall appear to claim such exemption, or produce a certificate of the amount of such income allowed by any commissioners under any act relating to the rates, and duties arising on property, &c.

On engaging to serve without pay in volunteer corps, part of the fine to be remitted. Penalty on such persons on being returned non effective.-Persons refusing to swear that they have not insured against fine to forfeit the amount,

If any person being one of the people called Quakers, or of the people called Unitas Fratrum, or United Brethren, who shall be ballotted under this act, shall produce before the deputy lieutenants of any subdivision meeting, or any deputy lieutenants or justices of the peace, a certificate under the hands of or more respectable housekeepers being of the people called Quakers, or of the people called Unitas Fratrum or United Brethren, resident within the county or place of residence of such person, and dated within mouths immediately preceding the day on which such certificate shall be produced as aforesaid, acknowledging such person to be one of their persuasion, such person shall not be enrolled; and it shall be lawful for any such deputy lieutenants or justices to adjudge any such person to pay such proportion of such fines as are by this act imposed on persons ballotted and not appearing, as to such deputy lieutenants or justices may appear to be proper, according to the situation in

life and property of such person; and the county.-In case of invasion, or insurrection, amount of such fine may be levied by distress may be embodied and marched to any part of and sale of goods and chattels; and if no Great Britain.-While training or embodied, goods or chattels, then any deputy lieutenant to be under the mutiny act and articles of war. or justice of the peace, if he shall think pro-Entitled to same privileges and allowance per, may commit such Quaker or United as other militia forces. Brother to prison, there to remain for any time not exceeding months, unless such sum shall be sooner paid and satisfied.

If the persons voluntarily enrolling themselves shall amount to the number to be eurolled by ballot under any apportionment in any parish, then no ballot shall take place in such parish; if they shall not amount to the number required to be enrolled by ballot in any such parish, then the remainder only shall be balloted for in such parish.

Bounty to persons enrolling themselves voluntarily.

Volunteer corps may transfer themselves into local militia of the county or part or division of the county to which such corps shall belong, upon such terms and conditions as to His Majesty shall seem fit; and all volunteers so transferring themselves shall thereupon forthwith be enrolled without ballot in such militia, and take the oath, and entitled to the same bounty and allowance for necessaries, &c.

Volunteers to swear that they have not other bounty.-Allowances for necessaries.

Persons serving to be entitled to all such exemptions as any effective yeomanry and volunteers are now entitled to under any act or acts of parliament.

Persons insuring for providing substitutes, or volunteers, subject to penalty.

How to be formed and officered.-No higher rank to be given in any regiment of local militia formed under this act than that of lieutenant-colonel commandant; all officers of the militia raised under this act shall rank with the officers of His Majesty's other militia forces, as the youngest of their respective ranks every officer who shall have served in His Majesty's regular forces as a field officer shall be and is hereby deemed qualified to hold any commission in the local militia, without any other qualification in respect of property or otherwise.

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Training and exercising militia under this act, within their respective counties in each year, at such times, in such manner, and in such proportions as His Majesty shall direct; the periods and places for such exercise shall be appointed by the lieutenants or deputy lieutenants of the several counties, with the approbation of His Majesty: no local militia shall be ordered to march for training and exercise out of its county, if consisting of an entire regiment or battalion, or further than into some next adjoining county if consisting of less than a regiment or battalion, and united with the local militia of such adjacent

May enlist into army, navy, or marines, or as a substitute in the regular militia of the same county, except during periods of exercise.-Vacancies by enlisting to be supplied, in like manner as any other vacancies in the said local militia.

Fine for men deficient.-Return of twothirds of fines when men found.Commandants shall transmit to the general quarter sessions, certificates, and the justices there assembled, shall assess for each man certified to be deficient.

Provision for payment of bounties out of such fines as shall be paid to the clerks of subdivision meetings.

Fines to be remitted to treasurer of county, who is to lay accounts before justices each quarter sessions.-Penalty on clerks of subdivision meetings retaining money.

Application of penalties in the discharge of any expences of training or exercising under this act within the county, riding or place where the same shall arise, or any incidental expences attending the execution of this act within such county, riding or place. ⠀

Cinque Ports-Stannaries. — Extending provisions relating to counties, to ridings; those to hundreds and to constables, to other places and officers.

Act may be altered in this session.

ADDENDA TO THE ARTICLE ON THE INVASION OF INDIA. [In the present volume, page 1.]

The writer of the article on the Invasion of India, desires us to explain an inadvertence which appears in that paper, wherein Zemaun Shah is mentioned as still living; the fact is, that that sovereign was living when the Emperor Paul communicated the plan, of which that article is an abstract, and on which it rests as authority; and in which he is so spoken of. This oversight, however, does not affect the general statement, as his successor is exactly the same as himself, to every political purpose.

We are also desired to say, that greater stress would have been laid on the advance of Nadir Shah to India, but, that Nadir being invited by the leading officers of the Mogol's Court, the difficulties he met with in his progress, were inconsiderable, compared with what an army that is really opposed, must expect to encounter.

give that unhesitating opinion, which we are convinced the importance of the in

Communications to the Board of Agricul-quiry demands. It should be remember

ed, that the manufacture itself employs a considerable part of our population, that no small share of our agricultural interest is closely connected with it, and by inti

ture; on Subjects relative to the Husban dry, and Internal Improvement of the Country. Vol. V. Part II. qto. pp. 337 to 541. Besides the Index to both parts of the Volume. Price 10s. George Nicoll, Lon-mate sympathy prospers or declines, as the don, 1907.

reputation and extent of our woollen trade If an Englishman were asked, what are affected, whether for better or for is the staple article of his country worse. -he This is no new proposition; the would certainly reply, "wool:" he might experience of ages has confirmed this add," and to preserve this in everlasting branch of trade in the hands of our worl remembrance, the Judges, and the Lord men, and nothing but that spirit of su Chancellor, are seated on wool sacks." pineness into which commerce when con Not that British wool is finer than that of fined to a small number of capitalists, or all other countries, or that Britain does when it has formed easy and regular channot even import wool for the more beauti-nels, is apt to sink, could have postponed ful of its fabrics. Yet, we presume, that the amount of wool imported is consider ed but by few, and that we do a service to the public in treating the subject at some length in the present article.

the exertions demanded by circumstances to the present moment. It may indeed, be said, that we formerly imported a small quantity of Spanish wool, to perfect a small proportion of our manufacture; and, so We lately remonstrated pretty much at far as this argument is valid we shall not large against the impolicy of depending was augmented to a serious amount, and oppose it but, directly as this quantity on aliens for an article so important as hemp confessedly is, to our navy, and to creased, to a degree very sensibly felt the necessity for obtaining the article invarious purposes of our machinery, and manufactures. Can we do less, when among us, we ought to have taken proper wool is the subject of discussion than eu-cised that spirit of independence, as well measures for our relief, and to have exerdeavour all in our power to promote the independence of our country on the caprice, or the politics, of foreign nations, or their governments, for that supply which our looms may require?

Neither is this subject altogether timed, when

The clothiers not able to maintain
The many to them 'longing, have put off
The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers, who,
Unfit for other life, compell'd by hunger
And lack of other means, in desperate manner
are in uproar-

as of sound discretion, which does not misbecome a "nation of philosophers."

The flocks of Spain have long been famons for furnishing a species of fine wool, ill-which was wrought up to great advantage as a finishing, in combination with British, wool, inferior in delicacy, but superior in length of staple. Other countries, aware of this finishing, endeavoured to supply themselves with the article, by importing the sheep which yielded it; so that, at this time, Britain receives wool of Spanish origin from Saxony, and elsewhere, as well as from Spain, itself. Nothing can shew more decidedly the negligence of our farmers, than such a statement. The fact might have taught us, long ago, that this prime commodity was not restricted to distant from that kingdom, and very difSpain. Being naturalized in countries ferent in climate; even also in Sweden, a country further north than Britain; the question might fairly be asked, why should not this island obtain so desirable a boon, and derive from its home produktion.. those advantages which are enjoyed by our neighbours? We shall not enlarge on K

At least in some parts of Yorkshire, where they describe as stagnation that quantity of production, which, could the speaker into whose mouth Shakespeare has put these lines, behold from the grave, he would hardly believe the country could furnish so much so greatly does it exceed the most abundant periods of the reign of Henry the Eighth. For proof of this we refer to the table given Panorama, Vol. I. p. 134, in a Report of a Committee of the Hon. House of Commons.

We should think ourselves culpable, if we did not assume that decided tone, and VOL. IV. [Lit. Pan. May, 1808.]

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400,723

288,274

252,222

122,150

10,567

3,357 381

Total 18,467,718 lbs. Of this quantity, about 15,307,718 lbs. were imported in Spanish or neutral vessels, and the remaining 3,160,000 lbs. in English vessels.

Of the quantity imported in Spanish or neutral vessels, about 15,141,900 lbs. were sheep's wool, and 165,778 lbs. lambs' wool. Of the sheep's wool the proportions were, of R. [Refina] or first sort, about 12,000,000 lbs. of the F. [Fina], or second sert, about 2,000,000 lbs. ; of the T. [Tercera], or third sort, about 1,127,000 lbs.; and of the K, or coarsest sort, about 14,920 lbs.

The average prices given for these wools by the clothiers in England were nearly as fol

lows:

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15,307,718 lbs.

500,000 253,579

2,238 35,227

L.4,391,044 These £4,391,044. were the sum paid by our clothiers for this wool. What the merchants' profit might be, I do not presume to determine; but if we allow 15 per cent. inclusive of interest, or £658,656. the remainder, or £3,733,288. will be the sum actually paid out of the kingdom for this part of the imported wool.

Besides these quantities, there were imported in British vessels about 3,160,000 lbs. of Spanish wool; of which the respective proportious were, probably, nearly as follows:

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2,477,182 lbs. at 6s.

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L.743,154 103,216 52,346

461 7,272

L. 906,449 From the gross amount of the latter sum, which is what is paid by the manufacturer, there must in this case be deducted not only

the merchant's profits, but also the expences of freight and insurance.

There were brought into England within of wool not called Spanish, but a great deal of the same period from Germany, 561,604 lbs. which was of the same quality

613,059 lbs. of wool were imported from Africa and the Cape of Good Hope;

From Portugal there came also 486,124 lbs. From these data, gross as some of them are, little doubt can be entertained, that during the three years in question, Great Britain paid to foreign countries for the wool which was the chief basis of its fine woollen manufactures, at least £4,700,000. or upwards of £1,560,000. per annum.

Our readers will understand that this is the quantity and value of fine wool only.

For wools of longer staple, or that which forms the more substantial cloth, our own country stands pre-eminent above all others: as well for the abundance, as for the excellent qualities, of its produce.

This fine wool, which thus lays Britain itself under contribution, is the produce of a breed of sheep, called in Spain Merinos. In Panorama, Vol. III. p. 118, we gave a slight history of this breed, with a figure of one of Lord Somerville's Merino wethers. Dr. P. denies that Spain received this invaluable race from Barbary, or during the reign of Pedro the Fourth. He observes, that only one Pedro, King of Castile, in 1350, is known in Spanish history, and that no historian mentions him as being so great a benefactor to his country, although his life was written within 30 or 40 years of his time, when such an event would have been well remembered.

To this negative evidence Dr. P. might have added that of Froissart, who when relating the history of the war between this king and his brother, then recent, would certainly have hinted at such a circumstance, had it been known. The Dr. inclines to think that this breed is much the same with the fine woolled sheep of Italy, described by several ancient authors, as Varro, Columella, Pliny, &c. and called by various names, or rather described under various epithets, as molle tender or soft, from the qualities of its fleece; generosum, noble; pellitum from its being generally clothed with skins, to preserve its wool; tectum for the same reason, or from its being usually housed; and receiving other appellations from the districts wherein it was reared. This

breed was also called Asianum, probably from its supposed origin in Asia, where, especially in Laodicea in Syria, as Pliny says, the same species was found.

In the early numbers of our work (Compare Panorama, Vol. I. p. 1281) we gave a description of the Cashmire sheep, the properties, and excellence of its wool, and the manner in which the flocks are treated. We are not prepared to offer any opinion as to what was the native country of the sheep; but, as Dr. Parry seems to have proved, that there was a time when the Spanish sheep were not distinguished by any peculiar qualities, but that the present race of finewoolled sheep in Spain is an importation, we may be permitted to ask, whether it might not be introduced from some still more eastern climate, at a greater distance than Italy or Greece, or even Laodicea in Syria? Possibly, both Cashmire and Spain, might derive their breeds from the same origin, though not now ascertainable. At least, the management in both countries has many points of resemblance; yet Cashmire was certainly not known to Spain by direct intercourse.

The history of this breed is however of less consequence to us, at present, than its properties are, and as our former description was but slight, we shall transcribe that which is offered by the writer before us.

The Merino sheep in Spain is an animal below the middle size, comparatively with our native English breeds, and probably about that of the pure Ryeland, or old South Down.,

They are, in general, rather high on their legs, Their heads are large, and their necks long. Their chests are contracted, and therefore they are sharp on the shoulders and flat sided. They are also narrow across the loins; whence it inevitably follows, that their hind quarter is strait and defective.

In all these respects, however, there is great difference in individuals of the same flock, and more especially in the general character of form in different flocks of this race.

The skin of the Merino sheep, is remarkably thin, soft, and loose, affording that evidence of a strong disposition to fatten, which many of our farmers call "Proof.".

It is of a fairer hue, with a vivid tint of what is called carnation or flesh colour; hearing the same relation to that of our English breeds, as the skin of women with red or auburn hair does to that of those whose hair is dark brown, or black. This tint is parti

cularly conspicuous on those parts which are naturally free from wool, as the eye-lids and lips.

The fleece, in fineness and flexibility, is probably superior to any other breed in the known world

These animals seem absolutely buried in wool. It exists on their foreheads almost as low as the eyes, and on their cheeks; covers their bellies, and envelopes their hind legs, and sometimes their fore legs, down to their very hoofs.

The length of the staple, or filaments, of wool is from two to somewhat more than three inches; being much alike on the shoul der and on the rump.

The number of these sheep, according to the latest information, amounts to about five millions. They are divided into two sorts-; the Trashumantes, and Estantes. These terms are not meant to indicate any difference in the species, but are Spanish participles, merely importing that the former travel, and that the latter are stationary.

There are a great number of Merino flocks belonging to different proprietors, who are chiefly grandees, or societies of monks. Many of these flocks seem to be distinct varieties of the race, differing in the form and size of the carcase, and in the weight and fineness of the fleece. Among them one of the most noted is that of the Count del Campo Alange, which, from another title in the same family, is called Negrette; and which, having been the root of that in the possession of our gracious Sovereign, has been by him liberally distributed throughout this island. This flock, which is said to consist of at least sixty thousand sheep, has, according to Burgoing, the largest carcases and the heaviest fleeces, though of a wool, which, neither by the merchants in the country, nor by foreigners in general, is esteemed the finest.

The race of the Escurial is supposed to have the finest wool of all.

Another cause of difference, which may also respect different breeds, and which certainly influences different individuals of the same variety, is the proportion of the grease, or yolk, which imbues all wool, but pre-eminently that of the Merino. In consequence of this superabundance, the fleece involves in it, to about one-sixth of its depth from the surface, a great quantity of dust, earth, and other matters, either floating in the air, or lying on the ground, so as to give the Merino sheep a very dark and dirty hue, corresponding chiefly with the colour of the soil.

Notwithstanding this superficial darkness, the wool, when drawn asunder, has, nearer the skin, a brilliant silky appearance, and, when scoured, is of the purest white.

We may state the average reduction in

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