FIRST MERINOS IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18987, 8 October 1923, Page 10

FIRST MERINOS IN AUSTRALIA.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — I notice that in your issue of September 22 your correspondent, in Sydney gives credit to the Rev. Samuel Marsden for first causing merino wool to be made into cloth and for being the first man to bring merino sheep to Australia. To a certain extent this is right. Mr Marsden did take wool Home and have it made into cloth, but in 1793 there wore 1400 sheep and goats in New South Wales, bred from 39 sheep from Calcutta, the Cape, and England, and surely some would he merinos. Captain MacArthur should have the credit for some of these. Was he not reprimanded at Home for working about sheep and wool, when he was told he should attend to his own line of life? Before Mr Marsden took wool Home it used to be used to bed down cattle. Mrs Gaunt speaks of a Mr Lawson who had that wool made into cloth, but I am sure it was William Thompson and Co. who did that. Possibly Mr Lawson may have been their manager. The Rev. Thomas Ha&sall (the first person, I believe, to go from Australia to be ordained) was Mr Mareden’s curate, and married his elder daughter, and it is from a book his son wrote that I gather most of my information.—l am, etc., Lbuea. [lt is Mrs P. R. Gaunt, not our Sydney correspondent, who states that Mr Marsden introduced merino sheep to Australia. Our correspondent’s despatch relating to (he matter begins with the sentence, “Captain John MacArthur has ■ generally been regarded as the first man to bring merino sheep to Australia.” —Ed. O.D.T.] SPOIL FROM THE HARBOUR. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— An amazing quantity of stuff, according to Harbour Board figures, is removed from the harbour month after month, but I have often wondered how it is measured. When it comes to filling up a void there seems to be a discrepancy. For instance, during a recent month over 46,000 cubic yards of material were reported as dredged from the harbour, all of which was said to be pumped on to Lake Logan. Now, 46,000 cubic yards would cover an area of 9i acres lo n depth of 3ft, or an area oi 19 acres to a depth of 18in, or an area of 28 acres to a depth of Ift. Has anything like this really been done at Lake Logan in a month? Subsidence would hardly explain as the filling was mostly on old work. I am not criticising the work done by the Harbour Board. Nor am I criticising‘Lake Logan as an Exhibition site. 1 rather favour it, but only draw attention to what appears to require some explanation.—l am, etc -- Cubic Yard. Dunedin, October 0.