Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/229

 of Christianity. Such corruptions are the shame of humanity, but it is the glory of religion that they vanish before it.

But though Hunter was incapable, it was during his government that John Macarthur laid the foundation of the material prosperity of New South Wales. Quick to observe and prompt to act, the firstlings of his heart were at once shaped by his hand. The tale may be succinctly told in his own words. The following evidence was furnished by him in 1820 to Mr. Commissioner Bigge:—

"In 1794 I purchased from an officer sixty Bengal ewes and lambs which had been imported from Calcutta, and very soon afterwards I procured from the captain of a transport from Ireland two Irish ewes and a young ram. The Indian sheep produced coarse hair, and the wool of the Irish sheep was then valued at no more than ninepence per pound. By crossing the two breeds I had the satisfaction to see the lambs of the Indian ewes bear a mingled fleece of hair and wool. This circumstance originated the idea of producing fine wool in New South Wales."

In the year 1796 the Supply and the Reliance, sloops of war (under Captains Kent and Waterhouse), "were sent to the Cape of Good Hope, and as their commanders were friends of mine, I requested them to inquire if there were any wool-bearing sheep at the Cape." It happened that at the Cape there were some Merino sheep derived from animals of the celebrated Escurial flock presented by the King of Spain to the Dutch Government, and sent by the latter to the Dutch colony at the Cape. The flock was under the control of Colonel Gordon, a Scotchman, who held high office under the government. When he died there were differences between his representatives and the Dutch government. The value of the sheep was not understood by the latter. When Macarthur's friends reached the Cape some of the sheep were about to be sold by order of Colonel Gordon's widow.

"At the period of the arrival" (of Kent and Waterhouse, Macarthur continued) there was a flock of Merino sheep for sale, from which about twenty were purchased. Of these I was favoured with five ewes and three rams. The remainder were distributed amongst different individuals who did not take the necessary precautions to preserve the breed pure, and they soon disappeared. Mine were carefully guarded against an impure