University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections

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Caddy thanks Mrs Ewart for her Christmas present and provides some family details, including the fact that her son has been accepted into Woolwich and will shortly be moving to London. She writes that the Shetland shawl she made with Mrs Ewart's encouragement was exhibited at the Arts and Crafts exhibition in Melbourne.

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Noble thanks Ewart for his letter and admits that he had overlooked the fact that no wild sheep have four horns. He is currently trying to breed rams with both pairs of horns turned down, but is having difficulty. He hopes Ewart will visit him when next in London.

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Noble writes that he is expecting a visit from Elwes and that Ewart is welcome to stay too. He sees in The Field that Lydekker still believes that a certain breed of sheep are from South Africa although he has not been able to provide any proof, and that they were certainly in Britain 100 years before either of the flocks he mentions.

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Elwes suggests that he and Ewart write a joint paper on sheep. He proposes to visit and photograph each different variety of sheep if they are not mongrels. He has heard of a flock of Faroe sheep near Peterborough as well as sheep in Brittany and Iceland.

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Elwes provides some details of the 'dun-faced sheep' and suggests that Ewart impress on Claud Alexander the importance of photographing the results of his cross-breeding experiments, rather than breeding indiscriminately. He mentions the research of Professor Keller on the Bündner sheep of Switzerland and R.F Scharff in Ireland. He hopes to visit Ewart before going to Shetland.

Scope and Contents Elwes writes from Shetland that he has had a pleasant and successful trip seeing 'some of the best sheep in Shetland', although he fears that there are no pure Shetland sheep left. He provides details of the sheep he has purchased. He wishes to see Ewart on his journey south to arrange the forwarding of the ewe hoggs Elwes has bought from him. He urges Ewart to examine the wool which he addressed to Wallace at the University. The letter is undated but marked 'Sunday', which,...

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Elwes writes that he has just returned from Formosa and invites Ewart to visit him in time for the shearing of the ewes. He will also invite Lort and Bateson to settle which rams are to be kept for future experiments.

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Elwes writes that some of his sheep have already been shorn owing to the prevalence of fly on them. He asks Ewart to confirm when he will be visiting, as he wishes to choose which ram lambs to keep as soon as possible. He would like to stay with Ewart and see the Shetland sheep at his friends' place on his way to Aberdeen.

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Elwes writes that he is sending Ewart a photograph of the 'so-called Cabul sheep' at Tetbury, which he thinks look like St Kildas. He asks Ewart to bring with him the Takin horns which he left in Ewart's house when he visits Elwes.

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Elwes will send his fat-tailed sheep to be served by Ewart's ram and could also send some 'so-called Siberian' sheep which he is buying. He asks Ewart to confirm when would be a suitable time for him to visit to see his Fairisle sheep, and to settle what crosses he will make to exhibit at Bristol. He mentions some brown and white sheep of an old Spanish breed belonging to Lady Campbell.

The year is not written on the letter.