EXPORTATION OF SHEEP FROM THECLYDE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 236, 22 September 1862, Page 6

EXPORTATION OF SHEEP FROM THECLYDE

TO NEW ZEALAND.

(From the Glasgow Daily Herald.)

Lest any future follower of Mr. Darwin should propound the enquiry how Leicester sheep had found th«ir way into New Zealand, we deem it oar duty as chroniclers of the events of the time, to place on record a fact which will be of some importance in any such investigation. The human race seems to be turning topsyturvy all the operations of nature in reference to the character and distribution of species; and if it ever happens—as we once heard an intelligent doctor of medicine maintain that the race of man Rhall be utterly destroyed from off the face of the earth, to make way for come new creation, ts far above present men as present men are above the gorilla, we are afraid the Raid superior intelligences must be mightily puzzled, when we are all converted into geological phenomena, and can give no account of the matter, to trace anything like a consistent connection in wliat we presume they will then call the operations of nature. Leaving them to scramble their way through the difficulty as they best can, we are content with placing our own circle of readers in possession of the fact, that within the last ten months three ships have left the Clyde, containing each a carfco of upwards of a thousand Leicester sheep, for New Zealand, aud that a fourth will leave our harbour within a day or two, having on board 1700 more. Three of the four vessels were chartered by, and fitted up under the superintendence of Messrs Cree, Skinner, and Co., of Gordon street. So complete were t'le arrangements, that though by the la'jt of the vessels which left our port 1065 were shipped, only 18 died during the voyage a circumstance which probably has not any previous parallel—and before the surviving 1047 were many weeks in the colony tf;ey had multiplied to the extent of 100 per cent. Having heard so much of the circumstance, ami teing struck with the prudent foresight and thoroughness of the arrangements which could convey upwards of one thousand sheep to the very antipodes with a less of only 18,-we paid a visit to .the vessel, the Flying Mist, which is about to transport the largest cargo frcm this country. Tne spaca known as the between decks has been fitted up with pens—one row along each side of the vessel, and anorher running along the centre of the space. EacU row is divided into two tiers, a lower and upper, and so great is the depth of the between decks that thi-s can be conveniently done without infringing on the health or comfort of the sheep. The between decks measures 2CO feet in length about 40 feet in breadth amidships, and about 10 feet in height. In the pens are placed small troughs* for holding the food, which consists of a mixture of hay, oats, peas and oilcake, all copiously saturated with water, which is the only process l«y which they imbibe liquid: The Flyiug Mist, which isowned by .Mr. George B. Cha-e, and other Ainc lean gentlemen, and which is to be under the command of Captain Lionell, one of the owners, was foimerly engaged in the China trade.

Wherearefood and water to be stowed away for 1,700 sheep about to emigrate to New Zealand, without uuy hope of ever steintr their mother country a .join 1 For «ueh a voyage, 1,700 sheep, and the necessary uumber of shepherds wiil require ti 1,030 gallons of w,»t?r, which will occupy about 450 tons of space—eacli ton of space bein<r 40 cubic feet—in the ship's liol'i, and they wiil require 170 ton 3 weight of food, which will occupy about 750 tons of room. The charterers send out ia the ship's hold 4,800 bags of food, each bag weighing 100 lbs., aud they save the immense space required for the wat>-r by a novel expedient. The ship carries no water with her, and aehiuery has been fitted up on board for distilling it from the sea. The water is first forced from the sea into a condenser by means of a : large steam pump. This condenser contains a great number of pipes, but the water forced into it does not enter the pipes, but surrounds them to cool them, and condense the steam that 13 passing through them. The salt sea water in pumped from the condenser into the boiler by one pipe, and direct from the sea into the boiler by another pipe, and in the boiler it is converted into steam. The steam is forced into pipes which lend back through the conderaer, where the con*taut influx of cold sea water condenses it into water perfectly pure, and fresh, and fit for use. This wateris collecimi in a tank beneath. There is thus a constant fl >w of cold water passing through the ! condenser, and the coMer the water the more rapidly |is the stream converted into pure water. The saline | and other elements which were precipitated to | the bottom of the boiler in the process of converting | the water iuto .steam, is run back into the sea quite i warm, or it may be sent through anotlier pipe and I tiiied for washing the decks. The apparatus is able |to condense about 85 gallons of water in an hour; it | might condense inoro. but the water in that case I would leave the condensing pipes a little warm. j When we vhiked the vessel the apparatus was actively emplovvd in turning tha filthy water of the Clyde, below Glasgow, into a beverage as pure and j crystalline, though not quite so cool, as our own Loch Katrine water, and the taste was perfectly pure and sweet. * r

The ventilation lias also been thoroughly attended to, copious air lioles cut in the deck and sides of the vessel from stem to st«rn, and a complete circulation of air kept up. The air is therefore quite wholesome.

The land required to form sheep runs for such im mpn3e an I ever multiplying nocks must be necessarily exten^ve. The Flying Mist has been chartered for nine voyages—one between this country and New Zealand, and eight between Australia and New Zealand. During the eight intercolonial voyag s she is to convey 40,000 Australian sheep to New' Zealand. The Australian sheep, however, neither breed so early nor so frequently, nor do they grow to nearly the «ame size, or yield the same quantity of wool as the Leicester sheep do. Those taken oat to New Zealand from thia country are the s'ueep recommended by the Bradford Association as the best adapted for the climate of that rising colony ; and the results, as far as known, show that the Leicester sheep are successful competitors with the acclimatised merino sheep of New Zealand. The Flying Mist and the vessels which have preceded her, have been fitted up at very great expense, and we hope our enterprising townsmen who are doing 90 much to improve the breed of sheep in New Zealand, and thereby to maintain, through its muttou, the muscular vigour of our colonists, will ba amply rewarded for their pains.