One of the most notable present features in the wool trade is the competition of Australia. We have said that Germany nearly drove Spain out of the market ; and now Australia is eclipsing Germany. 1 t is found that the climate and soil of Australia, and the kind of labour obtainable, are favourable to the growth of wool. This has be. n done with very little encouragement from external sources.
Wool is largely imported from the British possessions in South Africa. India, it is believed, could easily supply ne with 200,000,000 lbs. of wool annually, by the display of a little energy. Chinese sheep, brought to England and America. have proved very profitable, produc ing largo fleeces of wool suitable for cheap goods. Australia could greatly increase her present supply, (lid not gold-digging frequently disturb the course of pisteml industry. The United States do not produce enough wool for their own manufactures; they import good wool from Europe, and cheap wool from South America. It affords a curious instance of the tendencies of trade when unshackled, that the United States' mills work up Australian wool which has come to them rid Englimd —a distance altogetherequal to two-thirds of the circuit of the globe. _ _ . , Of this quantity, however, rather more then 30,000,000 lbs. were exported, leaving about 115,000,000 lbs. of foreign and colonial wool to be used up by our woollen and worsted manufacturers.
It will be desirable here to say a few words concerning the pro. spective supply of that peculiar kind of wool called alpaca. Under ALPACA WOOL it was stated that Australian sheep farmers were beginning to attend to this subject. We will here briefly notice what has been done since that article was written. It is to Mr. Charles Ledger that we owe most of what is known concerning the wool of the alpaca, llama, ricuga, and guanaco, animals which pasture on the high table-lands among tho. Andes. Thoso;four kinds have slight differences ; and by cross breeds between the animals it is believed that wool will be obtained of finer quality than any yet known. The Peruvians use llama wool for sacking, cordage, carpets, bed coverlets, ite., and alpaca wool for various textile fabrics. Mr. Outram, of Halifax, first over. came, in 1835, the difficulty of spinning alpaca wool by machinery ; and Mr. Titus Salt, of Saltaire, made those further improvements which established alpaca among the staple manufactures of Yorkshire— especially when combined with cotton warp for strong hut cheap goods, and with silk for waisteoatings and ladies' dresses. A demand
having been thus created, the supply has gradually increased. Alpaca comes to England in small bales, from GO lbs. to 150 lbs. each. 1835 was the first year of considerable import; it amounted to about 100,000 lbs.; this increased to 1,200,000 lbs. by 1845; and from 1851 to 1860 the imports averaged about 2,500,000 lbs. yearly. The price has fluctuated considerably, from 8d. to 3s. M. per lb.
Mr. Ledger, for many years a resident in Peru. conceived the idea of transferring alpacas to Australia, as a commercial speculation. In 1853 ho went to Melbourne and .Sydney, to ascertain whether the climate and soil of Australia were suitable for his purpose ; and he found spots which possessed in an admirable degree all the requisite qualities. He returned to Peru and made arrangements for gradually buying and rearing a large stock of alpacas : undergoing great hardships while travelling repeatedly over the Andes. It was not until 1858 that ho could get his flock into the Argentine States ; for the govern ment of Peru placed all kinds of obstacles in the way of their exportation. At length, in November 185S,, a flock of 276 alpacas, llamas, and vicunas arrived safely at Sidney. In May, 1859, he began a tour of inspection, at the instance of the New South Wales govern ment, to select the best place for a breeding and pasture ground. He fixed on the Maneroo district, about 260 miles from Sidney. The first shearing, in November of that year, was too early, and the wool was pronounced in Yorkshire to be too short-stapled for the best goods. The flock was transferred to Maneroo; and the numbers are gradually increasing. Mr. hedger has made a calculation that, allowing for accidents, deaths, bad years, he very earnestly looks forward to 3000 alpacas by 1870 ; and if this estimate be borne out, the increase after that would be very rapid. The New South Wales government, regarding the subject as one of great colonial importance, have made liberal arrangements with Mr. Ledger ; for Yorkshire will eagerly buy all the alpaca that Australia can produce ; and especially will this be the case if the quality can be maintained at a high standard.