On the raw materials from the animal kingdom, displayed in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations / by Richard Owen.

  • Owen, Richard, Sir, 1804-1892.
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the raw materials from the animal kingdom, displayed in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations / by Richard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    colonies settled in Italy and Spain is to follow the progress of the diffusioij of the domesticated flocks and the pastoral people over whom Pan espei daily presided. From Spain and Italy the breeding of sheep extended into Germany ancj> Gaul ; and Caesar found abundant cattle (pecoris magnus numerus), which may be inferred to include sheep, amongst the aborigines of Cantium oJ Kent, whom he describes as being “the most advanced in civilization of all the ancient Britons.” I shall here quit the history of the diffusion of the domestic sheep, with the remark that some of those procedures, which arc now most influential in improving the staple of the fleece, were practised in ancient times. Varro* speaks of the custom of the Athenian shep- herds of covering their sheep with skins, in order to improve the fleece ; and the Cynic Diogenes, in reference to a similar practice amongst the shepherds of Megaris, whose children were allowed to run about naked] says, “he would rather be the ram, than the son, of a Megarensian.’'f The continuance of these arts of ancient pastoral life, combined witl: suitable climate and locality, and the exercise of skill and tact in crossing and breeding from the best varieties of the domesticated sheep, have com- bined to produce the fine qualities of the staple, which were so remarkably illustrated in the specimens exhibited in the Crystal Palace. After the comparison of the wools exhibited by the growers of different nations, our Jury were unanimous in making the first mention of those transmitted from Germany as being pre-eminent in the qualities of highest value. Under “ German Wools ” were included those from Austria and Aus- trian Silesia, Hungary, Prussia, Saxony, and Polish Silesia. In Austria, the Jury made first mention of the specimens exhibited under No. 90, by Messrs. Figdor and Sons. The fleeces exhibited by this firm presented in a high degree the desired qualities of substance and trueness in the staple, due to the equality of size, and to the fineness and elasticity of the component fibres, the spiral curves of which were close and regular, and were immediately resumed after being obliterated by stretching the fibre,i the length of which was also considerable for wool of this “ felting ” quality.] the most valuable for the finest descriptions of cloth. Under No. 99 Count II. Larisch Moennich exhibited the product of a fine and well known flock, from Silesia, by four fleeces, which presented! similar excellent qualities to those of No. 90. The fine and high-bred fleeces of a pure stock merino, from Silesia,! exhibited under No. 91 by Count Anton von Mittrowski, showed the valu- able qualities of fineness and elasticity of fibre in an eminent degree. No. 89, sent by Count Joseph Hunyady von Kethelev, was a fleece from a flock in Hungary, an unwashed specimen, but of a very fine quality of fibre ; it was a little inferior to the best Silesian examples only in being somewhat thinner or poorer in substance. The fine imbrication and elastic I properties of the fibre were, however, remarkably characteristic of this fleece. From the difficulty of arriving at a correct judgment of the degrees of individual merit, especially from samples giving an uncertain indication of * De Ee Eustica, ii. 2. (“Textr. Ant-.,” p. 40.) + Diog. Laert. vi. 41. (Ib. p. 42.)