AUSTRALIAN WOOL IN 1804.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6545, 14 September 1886, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN WOOL IN 1804.

i The Colonial Secretary of New South Wales received from England some time ago a collection of papers known as the Braboume Collection, many of them being of a character ot peculiar interest to this colony. There were, for example, three letters in the handwriting of Captain Cook, one being dated Sheerness, June 2nd, 1772; another Cape of Good Hope, November 18th, 1772 ; and the third Plymouth Sound, July 10th, 1776. The handwriting is very legible and the ' letters are in splendid preservation. The ! collection includes eight samples of wool, being the first specimens of the first produced Australian wool by the Bey. Mr Marsden, and the manuscript notes anent the specimens are dated August lltb, 1804. This was the year following that in which Mr John M-carthnr imported his rams and ewes from the Cape ot Good Hope. The samples are well preserved, and indicate the changes wrought by successive crossings, the first samples being the hair from a ewe, the length of tbe hair being Bin. The following is the text of the observations on tbe wool, made by Mr Marsden in 1804 :—iNo. 1) -Hair from a ewe such as the animal imported from India and the Cape; (2), wool from the daughter of No. 1; the father half-bred of a Spanish ram and cross-woolled ewe; (3), wool two removes from No. 1, from a half-bred Spa_i3_ ram; (4), wool from a ram the produce of a Spanish rani and cross-woolled ewe; (5), wool froai a ewe the preduce of another Spanish ram, bred in the colony, and crosswoolled ewe; (6), wool from a male,the produce of a Spanish ram and a ewe one remove from No. 1; (7). wool from a male the produce of another Spanish ram and a ewe similar to No. 3; (8), wool from a Spanish ram bred in the colony. The specimens have been carefully mounted, and the letters written by Cook have been pasted and mounted in a handsome red morocco binding. The Government intend to exhibit these relics of tbe past in the Parliamentary Library for a few days, after which they will be exhibited in the Sydney Museum.— Sydney Telegraph.